While China did not seem willing to let the WHO investigate the origins of the new coronavirus in Wuhan, the country likely changed course this Saturday, January 9. The Chinese authorities have announced that the WHO investigative team could soon visit the site, without however communicating a precise date.
One year after the appearance of the new coronavirus in Wuhan, the World Health Organization (WHO) team responsible for investigating the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic will soon be able to visit China according to an announcement Chinese authorities of January 9, relayed by our colleagues from RFI.
The Chinese National Health Commission said it was ready to “actively support the WHO expert team”: “China has always attached great importance to the traceability of the virus,” said Zheng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission. “A group comprising virologists, epidemiologists, doctors and public health officials has been set up on the Chinese side, to welcome international experts,” he continued, without however giving a precise date.
An investigation so far blocked
A surprising turn of events, since at the beginning of the week, China had blocked the WHO mission and prevented its investigators from looking for the origin of the virus. The team of ten scientists, who were on their way to Beijing on Tuesday January 5, still had “visa problems”. “Today, we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the necessary authorizations for the arrival of the team in China,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO.
The Chinese authorities then raised questions of procedure. “The search for the source is very complicated. To ensure the smooth running of the work of the international group of experts in China, the necessary procedures must be followed and specific arrangements must be made,” the foreign minister said. Wang Yi, Wednesday January 6.
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