January 6, 2021
2 mins read

China blocks WHO probe into Covid-19 origins

The WHO said the problem was a lack of visa clearances…reports Asian Lite News

A World Health Organization (WHO) team due to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Wuhan city has been denied entry to China.

Two members had already set out on their journey – one has now turned back and the other is in transit in a third country, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The WHO said the problem was a lack of visa clearances.

The long-awaited probe was agreed upon by Beijing in December after many months of negotiations with the WHO.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, with the initial outbreak linked to a market.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “very disappointed” that China had not yet finalised the permissions for the team’s arrivals “given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute”.

“I have been assured that China is speeding up the internal procedure for the earliest possible deployment,” he told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, explaining that he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials to stress “that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team”.

The WHO has been working to send a 10-member team of international experts to China for months with the aim of probing the animal origin of the pandemic and exactly how the virus first crossed over to humans.

Last month it was announced that the investigation would begin in January 2021.

The two members of the international team that had already departed for China had set off early on Tuesday, said the WHO.

WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan said one had turned back and one was in a third country.

Covid-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central Hubei province in late 2019.

It was initially believed the virus originated in a market selling exotic animals for meat. It was suggested that this was where the virus made the leap from animals to humans.

But the origins of the virus remain deeply contested. Some experts now believe the market may not have been the origin, and that it was instead only amplified there.

Some research has suggested that coronaviruses capable of infecting humans may have been circulating undetected in bats for decades. It is not known, however, what intermediate animal host transmitted the virus between bats and humans.

Also read:WHO Urges Nations To Ramp Up Healthcare Investments

Previous Story

Bird flu hits more states in India

Next Story

Top Indian space scientist alleges being poisoned 3 years ago

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan Faces Rising Uprisings

Officials warn that Pakistan cannot continue suppressing such protests by force indefinitely. A breaking point, they say, is inevitable — when the growing discontent converges into a major challenge for the establishment

UN Faces Crisis, Says Rajnath

Rajnath Singh said India recognises that the success of peacekeeping depends not only on numbers but on preparedness….reports Asian Lite News Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday highlighted the urgent need for

UK to host summit on Gaza recovery plan

The three-day conference, beginning Monday afternoon, will take place at Wilton Park, the Foreign Office’s policy forum based in West Sussex The UK will host an international summit on the recovery and

India, Australia Begin AUSTRAHIND

The AUSTRAHIND exercise, which followed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent visit to Australia, reaffirmed the deepening defence cooperation between the two nations…reports Asian Lite News Strengthening the expanding defence partnership between India

‘Modi’s a Very Good Friend’: Trump

Trump’s remarks come days after Modi called him to congratulate on the “success” of the Gaza peace plan….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump on Monday lauded India and described Prime
Go toTop