China froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
FILE - Marion Koopmans, right, and Peter Ben Embarek, center, of the World Health Organization team say farewell to their Chinese counterpart Liang Wannian, left, after a WHO-China Joint Study Press Conference at the end of the WHO mission in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 9, 2021. The hunt for COVID-19 origins has gone dark in China.
At the heart of the question is whether the virus jumped from an animal or came from a laboratory accident. A U.S. intelligence analysis says there is insufficient evidence to prove either theory, but the debate has further tainted relations between the U.S. and China. It could have played out differently, as shown by the outbreak of SARS, a genetic relative of COVID-19, nearly 20 years ago. China initially hid infections then, but WHO complained swiftly and publicly. Ultimately, Beijing fired officials and made reforms. The U.N. agency soon found SARS likely jumped to humans from civet cats in southern China and international scientists later collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to pin down bats as SARS’ natural reservoir.
Secrecy clouds the beginning of the outbreak. Even the date when Chinese authorities first started searching for the origins is unclear. A colleague asked Ben Embarek, who is no longer with WHO, if that seemed unusual. He responded that “it was not routine,” and that the Chinese “must have had some reason” to investigate the market. “We’ll try to figure out what happened and why they did that.”
A scientist in China when the outbreak occurred said they heard of a Dec. 25 inspection from collaborating virologists in the country. They declined to be named out of fear of retribution. Robert Garry, who studies viruses at Tulane University, said a Dec. 25 probe would be “hugely significant,” given what is known about the virus and its spread.
“They used their official power against me and our colleagues,” Zhang wrote in an email provided to AP by Edward Holmes, an Australian virologist. The government opened investigations into top health officials, according to two former and current China CDC staff and three others familiar with the matter. Health officials were encouraged to report colleagues who mishandled the outbreak to Communist Party disciplinary bodies, according to two of the people.
They drafted a paper suggesting a natural evolution, but even among themselves, they could not agree on the likeliest scenario. Some were alarmed by features they thought might indicate tinkering. The Chinese government was conducting its own secret investigation into the Wuhan Institute. Gao, the head of the China CDC, and another Chinese health expert revealed its existence in interviews months and years later. Both said the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, which Holmes, the Australian virologist, also heard from another contact in China. But Gao said even he hadn't seen further details, and some experts suspect they may never be released.
Significantly, it was Liang who ordered the Wuhan market disinfected before samples could be collected, according to a Chinese media interview with a top China CDC official that was later deleted. He instead promoted an implausible theory that the virus came from contaminated frozen food imported into China. Liang did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
“It is remarkable how much knowledge about a new virus has been gained in such a short time,” read the final report, which was reviewed by China’s top health official before it went to Tedros. Days later, Chinese leader Xi ordered new controls on virus research. A leaked directive from China’s Publicity Department ordered media not to report on the virus origins without permission, and a public WeChat account reposted an essay claiming the U.S. military created COVID-19 at a Fort Detrick lab and spread it to China during a 2019 athletic competition in Wuhan. Days later, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson repeated the accusation.
By the time WHO led a third visit to Wuhan in January 2021, a year into the pandemic, the atmosphere was toxic.
Health COVID-19 Pandemic World News General News Article 109485407
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Postdoctoral Fellowships at West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University - Chengdu, Sichuan, China job with West China School of Medicine/West China HospitalAbout West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University (WCH/WCSM, SCU) was founded in 1892 and recognized as a national general hospital and a diagnosis and treatment center for complex and critical illnesses, as well as a renowned medical school in...
Read more »
Welcome Global Talents to West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University - Chengdu, Sichuan, China job with West China School of Medicine/West China HospitalWest China Hospital/West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University (WCH/WCSM, SCU) was founded in 1892 and recognized as a national general hospital and a diagnosis and treatment center for complex and critical illnesses, as well as a renowned medical school in China.
Read more »
Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonousThe Chinese government froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly declaring that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found
Read more »
Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonousThe Chinese government froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly declaring that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found.
Read more »
China's Li: Low inflation, low central government debt mean more room for further macro policyChina's Premier Li Qiang spoke on Sunday at the China Development Forum in Beijing.
Read more »
China Accused of Attacking US Ally in South China Sea: What We KnowFor the second time this month, the Philippines says personnel were injured by a Chinese force seeking to blockade Manila-held Second Thomas Shoal.
Read more »