What WHO Researchers in Wuhan Are Trying to Learn

The WHO team of international researchers who arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday is hoping to find clues as to the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The visit has been closed in secret, with neither China nor the WHO showing exactly what the team is going to do or where it is going to go. The search for origins is likely to be a year-long effort that could help prevent future pandemics. 

Why Wuhan?

The industrial and transport hub of the Yangtze River is the first coronavirus to surface in the world. The virus may have come to Wuhan undetected from elsewhere, but the city of 11 million is a logical place for the mission to begin.

People began to fall ill in December 2019, many of them linked to a sprawling food market that dealt with live animals. The growing number of patients triggered alarms, which prompted China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention to send a team to investigate.

The disease would ravage Wuhan before it was brought under control in March. The city was locked down on Jan. 23 with little or no warning. The hardships endured and lives lost became a source of both sorrow and pride for residents once the 76-day lockdown was lifted on April 8.

What is the team’s agenda?

First, they have to quarantine for 14 days, during which they will work with Chinese counterparts via video conference. Possible visits after quarantine are the Huanan Seafood Market, the site of the December 2019 cluster of cases, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Scientists initially suspected that the virus originated from wild animals sold on the market. Since then, the market has been largely ruled out, but it could provide hints as to how the virus has spread so widely. Samples from the market may still be available, together with the testimony of those involved in the early response.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology maintains an extensive archive of genetic sequences of bat coronaviruses built in the wake of the 2003 SARS pandemic, which spread from China to many countries. WHO team members would hope for access to lab logbooks and data, both junior and senior researchers and safety protocols for sample collection, storage and analysis.

Why the secrecy?

China has strongly rejected calls for an independent external investigation. The WHO Head recently expressed his impatience at the length of time that China has taken to make the necessary arrangements for the expert team's visit.

The ruling Communist Party keeps a tight hold on information and is particularly concerned about possible revelations about its handling of the virus that could open it up to international criticism and financial demands.

China has stifled independent reports of the outbreak and published little information on its search for the origins of the virus. The AP investigation found that the government strictly controlled all scientific research related to the outbreak and forbade researchers from speaking to the press.

State media continue to play up reports that suggest the virus could have originated elsewhere. In announcing the experts’ visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “the tracing of the virus origin will most likely involve multiple countries and localities.”