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Wuhan (dpa) - International experts have visited a research center in the Chinese city of Wuhan that is at the center of speculation about the origin of the corona virus.
The visit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is considered a highlight of the investigations carried out by the experts on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Together with Chinese colleagues, the experts want to find out where the new Sars-CoV-2 virus originally came from, with which more than 100 million people worldwide have been infected.
The virus laboratory is a leading facility under China's Academy of Sciences.
It has long been researching coronaviruses from bats, which are suspected of being the origin of the pandemic because of their genetic similarities.
It was speculated that the virus could possibly have escaped from the laboratory, which the Chinese side has vigorously denied.
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The internationally renowned bat researcher Shi Zhengli from the institute, known as “Batwoman”, had already met the WHO experts and gave a lecture.
There were also unsubstantiated suspicions that a laboratory accident involving an artificially engineered virus might have occurred.
The majority of leading experts who have looked at the genetic information agree that it is a natural virus.
Members of the WHO team had repeatedly emphasized that they should approach the investigations with an open eye and not rule out any possible scenarios.
Only after a long tug-of-war had China allowed their visit.
The experts have been visiting hospitals, research institutes and a market in Wuhan since mid-January where wild animals were traded.
Some, but not all, of the early infections could be traced back to the Huanan market.
After their arrival in the central Chinese metropolis, the experts - like all those entering China - initially had to go into quarantine for two weeks.
During that time, however, they have already conferred intensively on video and prepared the examinations.
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The search for the origin of the pathogen is considered politically sensitive.
China fears being blamed for the pandemic.
More than 2.2 million people have died worldwide as a result.
For months, China's propaganda apparatus has been spreading doubts as to whether the virus even originated in China.
Reference is made to unconfirmed reports that infections may have existed in other countries before.
The thesis is also being spread that the virus could have been introduced into China via frozen goods.
Virus traces found on frozen imports serve as evidence.
However, whether these residues are sufficient for an infection is debatable among scientists.
In early December 2019, infections with the new pathogen were first discovered in Wuhan.
After initially handling the outbreak as inadequate, China imposed strict measures and entry restrictions.
With curfews and mass tests for millions of people, as well as contact tracing and quarantine, China appears to have largely got the virus under control.
Today only a few local outbreaks are reported.
Life has normalized.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210203-99-278549 / 2