WHO Conducts On-Site Investigation at Wuhan Virus Lab... Will the Truth of the 'Wuhan Origin Theory' Emerge?
Previously Visited Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Huanan Seafood Market
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Amid ongoing controversies over the origin of COVID-19, a World Health Organization (WHO) investigation team visited the Wuhan Virus Research Institute to identify the initial outbreak source of the cluster infections.
According to foreign media on the 3rd, the WHO investigation team, composed of multinational experts, visited the Wuhan Virus Research Institute in Wuhan City, China, that morning. This institute is known for having conducted research on various infectious diseases. Peter Daszak, a researcher on the investigation team, said in an interview with reporters before the visit, "We hope that today's investigation will help resolve many of the questions that have been raised so far."
The visit to the institute was made possible after months of negotiations between the WHO and the Chinese government. It is known that the COVID-19 virus likely transmitted to humans via bats, and this institute has been confirmed to have conducted research on bat-origin viruses. Consequently, suspicions have been continuously raised that the COVID-19 virus may have leaked from this research institute.
On the other hand, China has consistently denied the theory that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan. Dr. Shi Zhengli, the lead scientist at the Wuhan Virus Research Institute, known as the "Bat Woman," refuted the Wuhan origin theory by stating, "The genetic information of COVID-19 has no relation whatsoever to the viruses that have been studied at this institute." The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also claimed during a regular briefing the day before, "It is an issue involving multiple regions and countries." They added, "There are research results indicating that COVID-19 had already occurred in the United States before the Wuhan cluster infections," urging, "The United States should cooperate in investigations and research on the origin of COVID-19 just like China."
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Earlier, the WHO investigation team arrived in Wuhan on the 14th of last month and, after completing a two-week self-quarantine, has been conducting on-site investigations. As they began full-scale activities, the WHO field investigation team visited the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Animal Disease Center, and also conducted investigations at the Huanan Seafood Market. Foreign media reported that after completing the visit to the Wuhan research institute, the team plans to share research results with Chinese scholars based on the investigation findings.
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