MOSCOW: The executive director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, Mike Ryan, has said that it is premature to make any conclusion regarding the origins of the coronavirus since it is still not clear whether the infection emerged in China or any other country.
On January 14, the international team of WHO experts arrived in the Chinese city of Wuhan to study the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to China’s National Health Commission, the experts were made to undergo self-isolation for 14 days upon their arrival and communicate with Chinese scientists via video conference.
“It is definitely too early to come to a conclusion of exactly where this virus started, either within or without China,” Ryan said.
The WHO official added that the organization’s experts were “on the ground” in Wuhan, coordinating with Chinese scientists.
“They’re having a good experience working with our Chinese colleagues. We’re working through the data. The data will lead us to the next phase, where we need to go next to look at the origins of this virus,” Ryan said.
The coronavirus was first detected in China’s eastern city of Wuhan in late December, with initial reports linking the first cases to a local wet market.
The WHO already sent missions to China in February and July of last year. The current mission is larger and includes experts from Russia, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. (UNI)