WUHAN, China (AP) – The WHO team of international researchers who arrived in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday hope to find clues as to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visit was shrouded in secrecy, with neither China nor WHO revealing exactly what the team will do or where it will go. The search for origins is likely to be a years-long effort that can help prevent future pandemics.
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WHY WUHAN?
The industrial and transport center on the Yangtze River is the first place where the coronavirus appeared in the world. It is possible that the virus reached Wuhan undetected elsewhere, but the city of 11 million is the logical place to start the mission.
People started getting sick in December 2019, many with links to a large food market that traded with live animals. The growing number of patients has set off alarms that have prompted China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention to send a team to investigate.
The disease would devastate Wuhan before being controlled in March. The city was closed on January 23 with little or no warning. The hardship suffered and the lives lost became a source of sadness and pride for residents after the 76-day blockade was lifted on April 8.
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WHAT TEAM AGENDA?
First, they must be quarantined for 14 days, during which time they will work with Chinese colleagues via videoconference. Possible visits after quarantine are the Huanan Seafood Market, the December 2019 case cluster site and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Scientists initially suspected that the virus came from wild animals sold on the market. The market has been largely ruled out, but it can provide hints as to how the virus spread so widely. Samples from the market may still be available, along with testimony from the people involved in the initial response.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology maintains an extensive archive of bat coronavirus genetic sequences built on the heels of the 2003 SARS pandemic, which spread from China to many countries. WHO team members hope to have access to logbooks and laboratory data, both from junior and senior researchers and from security protocols for sample collection, storage and analysis.
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WHY THE SECRET?
China has firmly rejected calls for an independent external investigation. The WHO chief recently expressed impatience with the time it took China to make the necessary arrangements for the team of experts to visit.
The ruling Communist Party maintains strict control over information and is particularly concerned about possible revelations about the management of the virus, which could open it up to international criticism and financial demands.
China suppressed independent reports on the outbreak and published little information about its search for the origins of the virus. An AP investigation found that the government strictly controlled all scientific research related to the outbreak and prohibits researchers from speaking to the press.
State media continues to publish reports that suggest the virus may have originated elsewhere. In announcing the visit of the experts, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that “tracking the origin of the virus is likely to involve several countries and locations”.