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The team is made up of experts in virology, veterinary medicine, food safety and epidemiology from ten different countries and has been in China for several weeks now. After two weeks of initial quarantine, they have visited hospitals, research facilities and the now-infamous animal market where the virus has been traced, AP claims.
The dominant theory is that sars-cov-2 is derived from bats, but WHO experts want to know when, where and how the virus got hold of humans. Was there a host animal that acted as an intermediary? And could such a species have existed in the animal market in Wuhan, to which the first outbreak dates back?
According to Thea Kølsen Fischer, Daily Head of Research at North Zealand Hospital and Professor of Public Health, Viral Infections and Epidemics at the University of Copenhagen, the team has had access to all the locations they requested. They want to get an overview of the city where the virus was first discovered.
Last Sunday they visited the animal market. Thea Kølsen Fischer thought it provided a better understanding of how the virus could pass from one animal to another.
– Yes absolutely. Studying the market while physically on site makes a big difference in understanding how the virus can be transmitted, compared to looking at a drawing of the booth area, he says, referring to things like air circulation and sewage.
Guards outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Photo: Ng Han Guan / AP
Some days ago The team then also paid a three-hour visit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is surrounded by speculation that the virus may have “escaped” from there. Thea Kølsen Fischer doesn’t think it’s strange to ask that question, considering the virus was first discovered in Wuhan, where there is a high-risk laboratory that handles coronavirus.
– When you look at Wuhan and you realize that there is a BSL-4 laboratory (higher level of biological protection, editor’s note) that works with coronaviruses and bats, it is quite natural to wonder if there has been a laboratory incident and if has escaped. . There are not many BSL-4 laboratories in the world that work specifically with coronavirus.
She believes that now they must see if there is evidence for the theory.
– It is necessary to be transparent with this hypothesis and try to see if the necessary evidence can be obtained to substantiate it or discard it. This is how science works.
At the institute, the team met researcher Shi Zhengli, who is nicknamed the “bat woman” after many years of hunting viruses in bat caves. His research focuses on the coronavirus in bats. Thea Kølsen Fischer perceived her as well prepared for the visit.
– It would also be if I were in your place, after all the accusations in the media around the world. I think he works hard with his research and has a high level of competence, that was my impression. She did not avoid any questions, but answered all the questions asked by the team.
Shi Zhengli virus researcher in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Photo: Chinatopix via AP
Right now working WHO experts strive to collect all the information in the reports. Thea Kølsen Fischer is reserved about what they have found and believes that it will probably be a long time before they have a clear answer on the origin of the virus.
– Every day that we work with this, we get one step closer, but it can take years. They spent ten years with sars.
Do you think China has information or do you think it has been open?
– I have no comment on that.
Read more:
WHO team investigates “data no one has seen before” from Wuhan
WHO experts are examining the Wuhan animal market
