The transmission of Covid-19 from an animal is the "most likely" hypothesis, but it has "not yet been identified", said Liang Wannian, the head of the delegation of Chinese scientists, Tuesday February 9 , during the joint press conference of the international team of Chinese experts and the WHO in Wuhan.
This mission on the origins of the transmission of the virus to humans, considered extremely important to try to better fight against a possible next epidemic, has struggled to set up, China seeming very reluctant to let these global specialists come. from various disciplines, such as epidemiology but also zoology.
The conclusions of the researchers dispatched to China were eagerly awaited but the WHO had previously warned that it would be necessary to be patient before finding a possible answer.
No trace of Covid-19 before December 2019
The team of experts also announced that they had not found any indication of the presence of the virus in this city before its appearance in December 2019. "There is not enough evidence [...] to determine whether Sars-Cov-2 spread to Wuhan before December 2019, ”said Liang Wannian.
The central Chinese metropolis, once at the epicenter of the epidemic, was the place in the world where the first cases of Covid-19 were reported.
Present in Wuhan since February 3, the WHO researchers were able to access the Institute of Virology, which has several high-security laboratories where teams are working on coronaviruses.
Former US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of having let the virus that caused Covid-19 escape, causing a pandemic.
The accusation was strongly denied by China.
With AFP
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