WHO Investigation Team to Visit China on the 14th to Uncover the Origin of COVID-19

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The World Health Organization (WHO) international investigation team set to investigate the origin of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) will visit China on the 14th after numerous twists and turns.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 11th, the National Health Commission of China announced on its website that the WHO COVID-19 origin investigation team will visit China on the 14th. The National Health Commission stated that after consultations with WHO, the investigation will proceed, adding, "Chinese experts will also conduct joint research cooperation to clarify the origin of COVID-19."

Previously, the WHO investigation team, composed of multinational experts, was scheduled to arrive in China on the 5th and trace the origin of COVID-19 based on virus samples collected locally and interviews with infected individuals. However, the Chinese government repeatedly denied their entry citing visa issues, which sparked dissatisfaction in the Western world. Even WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who had been favorable toward China, criticized this, and ultimately their entry was approved.

Western countries such as the United States and Australia emphasize responsibility, claiming that China is the origin of the COVID-19 virus based on cases that broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. In response, China argues that the virus was introduced from Europe through imported frozen food and that Wuhan is only the place where COVID-19 was first discovered, not where it originated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.