An international team of epidemiologists, virologists and scientists will investigate the origin of the virus. Their plans are described in This report. The search for an answer begins in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The infamous market in Wuhan
A food market in Wuhan is the most appropriate place when it comes to the origin of the virus. But it later turned out that ‘only’ 70 percent of the first corona patients in Wuhan could be linked to a visit to that food market. The street market, where there were more than 600 stalls, sold raccoons, snakes, crocodiles and bats, among other things.
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Few conclusions can be drawn on the basis of the data collected so far; it is not certain whether the virus originated in the market, or whether it was a single place where the virus has spread rapidly among people. It could also be a combination of the two, or maybe neither.
Examining meat
Many scientists agree that the coronavirus likely passed from animals to humans. Maybe through bats, or pangolins. But even in this case, all kinds of scenarios are taken into account.
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The researchers will therefore study the blood, meat and faeces of various animals in Wuhan. The focus is on animals that are known to be susceptible to the virus, such as mink and bats.
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Frozen animal carcasses were also studied in previous research, then no traces of the virus. But tests on sewer samples did test positive for the virus. ” Previous studies have not yet shown any clear indications so that we can narrow the area of research, ” the report says.
Blood samples from hospital staff
In addition to the suspicious market, other markets in Wuhan are also being investigated. The researchers will try to trace where the animals that were sold at the time came from exactly. This could be elsewhere in China or possibly even in another neighboring country.
They will also look at data from hospitals in Wuhan to find out whether the virus has not already occurred before December 2019. They do this, for example, by testing blood samples from hospital staff that were collected in the weeks before the outbreak for antibodies.
Interviews
The first people diagnosed with the coronavirus will be interviewed to find out where they contracted the virus.
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However, “where an epidemic was first discovered is not necessarily where it started,” the WHO writes in the report. They point to the fact that in some countries – Italy for example – virus particles were found in sewage water, which showed that the virus may have been there for much longer than expected.
Politics
Determining the cause of a virus is important because it could prevent virus outbreaks in the future. It can also contribute to making a suitable vaccine.
But the search is not that simple. Moreover, many investigations into the cause are politically charged; the subject is particularly sensitive between the United States and China. US President Donald Trump makes frequent references to the ‘Chinese virus’, and researchers from China are trying to prove that it is not.
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