CNN "WHO Investigation Team Finds Extensive Outbreak Signs in Wuhan Since 2019"

"Over 1,000 Infected by the Time of First Discovery in December"
Possibility Raised That Community Transmission Began Before December

Peter Ben Embarek, Team Leader of the WHO Wuhan Field Investigation Team [Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) who examined the theory that the COVID-19 virus originated in China have found signs that the virus, first identified in Wuhan in December 2019, had spread more widely than initially expected.

On the 14th (local time), CNN reported this through an interview with Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, who leads the WHO field investigation team. Dr. Embarek stated, “We have detected signs indicating that the COVID-19 virus, first discovered in the Wuhan area in December (2019), was already widely spreading within the region,” adding, “This is a new finding.”

According to his explanation, the WHO field investigation team confirmed 174 cases of COVID-19 infection in the Wuhan area in December 2019, which is analyzed as a sign that many more infection cases already existed in the region at that time. Dr. Embarek explained, "Typically, only 15% of infected individuals show severe symptoms, while the majority experience mild symptoms," and "(The 174 cases) imply that over 1,000 people could have been affected." This suggests that, besides the 174 individuals showing clear symptoms, there were likely many mild cases that medical staff initially failed to recognize as infections.

Additionally, the discovery of 13 different genetic sequences of the COVID-19 virus during this investigation was pointed out as another sign of widespread transmission. CNN reported, "The discovery of mutations may imply that the virus had been present for a longer period." Viruses typically mutate their genetic sequences as they pass from person to person, and finding 13 variant sequences suggests that the virus had already spread extensively before its first identification in December.

Professor Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney, Australia, analyzed the discovery of these variants, stating, “Since genetic diversity already existed in the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) sequences collected in Wuhan in December 2019, it is highly likely that the virus was circulating even earlier.”

Although Dr. Embarek did not draw a definitive conclusion about the significance of the 13 viral genetic sequence variants, he said, “Some of the sequences came from the market. This is a sign that the Huanan seafood market played a significant role in the initial spread of the virus.”

Earlier, at the WHO investigation team’s results presentation held in Wuhan on the 9th, Professor Liang Wannian of Tsinghua University, an expert from China’s National Health Commission, also claimed, “It is possible that the virus had already been spreading for several weeks before its initial discovery.”

Meanwhile, at the same results presentation, the WHO field investigation team stated that it is difficult to determine the exact origin of the COVID-19 virus and that the possibility of the virus leaking from a virus laboratory in Wuhan due to an accident is very low. The team also mentioned that it may take several years to fully understand the origin of COVID-19. Dr. Embarek raised the need to revisit Wuhan, saying, "We were unable to examine blood samples from Wuhan residents collected in 2019 during this investigation," and "Further investigation of these samples is necessary to provide a clearer analysis of the virus’s origin."

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