WHO Mission To China Regarding COVID-1 Origins: Animal source not yet identified

The WHO mission to China still remains inconclusive regarding the origins of the coronavirus. During a press briefing, Liang Wannian, head of the China team said that there is no solid evidence to support the fact that virus was being transmitted before December 2019.

Instead, the team has claimed that the virus might have originated outside China's borders. The team has further stated that it is unlikely that the virus was leaked by a laboratory located in the city of Wuhan.  The international team of 13 scientists examining the origins of the virus that causes novel coronavirus arrived in Wuhan, China, in mid-January. 

"The laboratory incident hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus into the human population," said Ben Embarek, the head of the WHO mission. 

WHO mission maintains that the virus' 'reservoir host remains to be identified'

Besides the lab leak theory, the WHO mission has failed to uncover the animal source of the Coronavirus. This is contrary to the fact that many experts feel that bats might have been a likely source of the virus. Moreover, experts have been claiming that the coronavirus might have originated in the Wuhan seafood market. But the WHO mission has ruled out this theory too. Instead, it has maintained that the virus might have "crossed borders in its origin," before it was first detected in Wuhan. They have blamed the transportation of frozen food for carrying the virus everywhere. 

However, the team has admitted to the fact that animal to human transmission of the virus is possible. But they have been unsuccessful in finding out the animal source of the virus. 

Read more about the COVID-19 situation in India here.

Pic Credit: Scripps.org