The blood bank samples were stored for two years, Chinese officials said, as evidence in any lawsuits related to their donation. That period will soon expire for the key months of October and November 2019, when most experts think the virus may have infected humans before December.
An official from China’s National Health Commission told CNN that preparation for the tests is currently underway. The samples contain “absolutely vital clues,” commented Maureen Miller, an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, urging China to allow foreign experts to observe the process. “Nobody will believe the results that China reports unless there are qualified observers,” he added.
–
–
–
The head of the Chinese team working on the WHO investigation, Liang Wannian, explained in a press conference as early as July that Beijing would test the samples, adding that once obtained, “the results would be handed over to Chinese and foreign experts” , while the pool of experts had ongoing evaluations “on the test methods and the action plan to be implemented after” the two years. Samples, if stored correctly, may contain crucial elements of the first human-made antibodies to the disease. Liang pointed out that while the first reported case in Wuhan was from December 8, 2019, “our research and previous related documents by Chinese scientists fully suggest that December 8 is not likely to have been the main case. There may be others that are the case. are verified first “.
Joe Biden’s US administration conducted a 90-day intelligence review on the origin of the virus, concluding that both natural animal-to-human transmission and laboratory leak were two plausible theories. Biden, on the results, remarked that “critical information on the origins of this pandemic exists in the People’s Republic, but from the beginning Beijing officials have worked to prevent access to international investigators and the global public health community.”
–
