WHO "Additional Investigation into the Origin of Wuhan Coronavirus"... China Says "Conduct It Elsewhere"

Formation of COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Panel... "Last Chance to Uncover COVID Origin"
China: "Already Investigated Twice... Investigate Regions Other Than China"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The World Health Organization (WHO) has formed a scientific advisory body to investigate the origin of the COVID-19 virus and has called for cooperation from China.

In response, China argued that since it has already cooperated with WHO's investigation, any further investigations should be conducted elsewhere.

According to major foreign media, on the 13th (local time), WHO announced the formation of a scientific advisory group to prepare for new diseases with pandemic potential like COVID-19.

The "Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens" (SAGO) includes 26 scientists from various countries such as the United States, China, Germany, and Russia.

This group includes Maion Koopmans and Thea Fischer, who conducted on-site investigations in Wuhan, China, where COVID-19 was first reported in February.

The 26 scientists are experts in fields such as virology, food safety, public health, genomics, and clinical medicine.

The group was primarily established to investigate the theory that COVID-19 originated in China.

The group will develop future research plans on the origin of the COVID-19 virus and provide advice to the WHO Secretariat regarding surveillance and support.

Earlier, a WHO-led investigation team conducted a four-week on-site investigation in Wuhan and surrounding areas earlier this year and stated in March that "the virus is believed to have been transmitted from bats to humans via other animals, but further investigation is needed on other aspects."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned at the time that "the investigation in Wuhan was insufficient due to a lack of data in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak."

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's head of infectious diseases leading the COVID-19 investigation, said at a press conference, "We hope that additional on-site investigations in China led by WHO can be conducted with China's cooperation."

She added, "More than 30 studies need to be conducted to understand how the COVID-19 virus was transmitted from animals to humans," and "antibody tests reportedly conducted in Wuhan in 2019 are essential for investigating the virus's origin."

WHO holds the position that a detailed investigation is necessary into suspected infections before December 2019. The investigation targets include blood samples from Wuhan residents in 2019 and early hospitalization and death data from the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

Mike Ryan, head of WHO's Emergency Response Team, said, "The new advisory group will be the best and last chance to uncover the origin of COVID-19, which brought the world to a halt."

In response, China insisted that the previous investigations were sufficient and argued that investigations should shift to places outside China.

Chen Xu, China's representative to the UN, held a separate press conference and said, "International investigation teams have already visited China twice, and clear investigation results have been obtained," adding, "Now is the time to send investigation teams elsewhere."

Chen added, "If scientific investigations are to continue, they must be based on science and should not be investigations conducted by intelligence agencies."

Chinese authorities are reportedly pushing to examine thousands of blood samples collected in Wuhan as part of their own efforts to clarify the origin of COVID-19.

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