WHO "Unable to Trace COVID-19 Origin in Wuhan, China... Possibility of Transmission via Frozen Transport"

Peter Ben Embarek of the World Health Organization (WHO) is holding a press conference in Wuhan, China, on the 9th to announce the investigation results. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] Although World Health Organization (WHO) experts conducted an on-site investigation in Wuhan, China, the initial outbreak location, they were unable to accurately determine the origin of COVID-19.

Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHO COVID-19 origin investigation team, stated at a press conference held in Wuhan on the 9th that while the investigation provided new information about COVID-19, it did not fundamentally change the understanding of the virus. WHO had previously mentioned that it is difficult to identify the virus's origin through on-site investigations in Wuhan. The investigation team said it could take several years to fully understand the origin of COVID-19.

Embarek said the possibility that the COVID-19 virus leaked from a laboratory accident is very low, so no further related investigation is necessary, and it is most likely that the virus was transmitted to humans through an intermediate host animal. This dismisses claims by some that COVID-19 may have spread from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

He also mentioned the possibility of virus transmission through the transportation of frozen food. Earlier, Chinese experts suggested that COVID-19 might have originated from imported frozen food and argued that origin investigations should also be conducted in other countries such as the United States.

At the same press conference, Liang Wannian, a professor at Tsinghua University and an expert from the Chinese National Health Commission, said, "It is possible that COVID-19 spread in other regions before being detected in Wuhan," and added, "Before December 2019, when the first patient was reported, COVID-19 virus did not spread extensively in Wuhan." He explained that the animal source of the virus has not yet been identified and that research is insufficient.

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