Danish WHO-researcher in Wuhan predicts a long process ahead

It may well take a long time before the world gets a definitive answer as to where the coronavirus came from. And it is not at all certain that an answer can be presented. According to Ritzau, The expert team from the World Health Organization (WHO) is ready to present their first key hypotheses after investigating the origin of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, and Danish researcher predict a long process before the origin of the virus is found.

In a written interview with Ritzau, Danish researcher Danish Thea Fischer explains that there is still a long way to go until the final answers are revealed. It is too early to determine the origin of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus red.) and she anticipates a long process ahead.

Thea Fischer points out that it took several years before the Viverridae was established as a so-called intermediate host for the coronavirus SARS-CoV, which originated in 2003. An intermediate host is an animal that carries the infection on to humans after it has become infected. For example, from a bat. She writes that her view of a best-case scenario right now is that the team has come closer to a weighting of the main hypotheses about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 but adds that it will be a long-term process and important pieces are still missing to exclude important opportunities.

The virus was discovered in Wuhan around New Year a year ago and it is believed to have spread from a food market where live animals were sold. The WHO team arrived in Wuhan in mid-January and is expected to leave later this week.

Thea Fischer writes that the working days in Wuhan are long and the team spends most hours of the day investigating Covid-19. The atmosphere is generally good when she is on a two-man basis with the team leader of the Chinese team but adds that the mood in the room can change quickly when the many potentially geopolitically sensitive academic topics are discussed in plenary.

Even before the departure in January, Thea Fischer expressed that more trips may well be needed, both to Wuhan and other parts of China or other countries in an attempt to unravel whether there may have been previous outbreaks that were not identified as coronavirus first time around.

About Mette Larsen

Guest writer

View all posts by Mette Larsen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *