Outcomes of WHO-China joint study in Wuhan released
Pub Date:2021-02-10 08:49 Source:Xinhua
Chinese
and World Health Organization experts have completed their work in
Wuhan, which is part of global scientific research on the origin of the
novel coronavirus, according to a joint WHO-China press conference.
Among
the outcomes of the joint study, a coronavirus with high similarity to
the novel coronavirus in gene sequences occurs in bats and pangolins.
But the similarity is still not enough to make it a direct ancestor of
the novel coronavirus. Bats, pangolins, weasels, cats, and other species
all could be potential natural hosts, according to experts attending
the press conference in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei
Province, on Tuesday.
The virus was
found in environmental tests at the Huanan seafood market after its
closure, especially in its aquatic product stalls. The coronavirus at
the market might have been introduced through channels such as infected
people, contaminated cold chain products, and animal products, but it is
still uncertain.
No positive results
occurred in large-scale testing of animal products in the market. No
novel coronavirus was found either in samples of bats in Hubei Province
or large numbers of livestock, poultry, and wild animals across China.
In
December 2019, the novel coronavirus spread among people on a certain
scale in Wuhan, with most cases occurring in the second half of the
month. A study on the early ones showed that as there were novel
coronavirus cases in the market, there were also such cases in other
areas of Wuhan at the same time.
The
experts identified four hypotheses for the source of the transmission of
the novel coronavirus to the human population, including direct
zoonotic spillover, the cold-chain food, an intermediary host species,
and a laboratory-related incident.
The joint study said that a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely" as the cause of COVID-19.
It said introduction through an intermediary host species is "the most likely" passway.
Direct transmission or introduction through cold-chain food is also likely.
A
sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus occured in Wuhan at the end of
2019. China took prompt action, actively released epidemic information,
and adopted the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control
measures, achieving notable results.
According
to an agreement between China and the WHO in July 2020, an
international expert WHO team arrived in Wuhan on Jan. 14. They formed a
joint body with Chinese experts for the Chinese part of the global
study on the novel coronavirus origins.
The
team studied a massive amount of epidemic-related data and visited nine
facilities, including Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, Huanan seafood market,
and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences. The team conducted extensive exchanges with local medical
workers, lab researchers, scientists, and market managers. They also
interviewed social workers, community workers, residents, recovered
patients, and families of medical workers who lost their lives in the
epidemic.