Wuhan Investigation Team Postponed to Enter Korea … Controversy among Friends WHO Secretary General “Disappointed”

The Secretary-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), who has been criticized by the US administration of Donald Trump for being biased toward China, has publicly expressed regret to the Chinese authorities. This is a reaction that came after an international team of experts organized to investigate the origin of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) was delayed entering China.

WHO Secretary General Thewardros Adhanom Governor Yeosus said in a video briefing on the 5th (local time), “I found out that Chinese officials have not yet given permission for the expert team to enter China.” I said. It is said that the permission was not granted, but the two team members had already departed for China.

He continued, “I contacted a senior Chinese government official and once again made it clear that the mission to investigate the origin of Corona 19 is the top priority of the WHO,” he said. “We want to proceed with the mission as soon as possible.”

WHO emergency response team leader Mike Ryan also said that it is not desirable to delay the schedule of the investigation team.

Earlier, the WHO said it would send a team of 10 international experts to Wuhan, China earlier this month, to investigate the origin of Corona 19. The investigation team is reportedly planning to stay in China for six weeks, including a two-week self-isolation period.

During this investigation, experts plan to visit Wuhan, China, where Corona 19 first spread. The key to the investigation is to understand how the virus is spreading. For this, samples of animals that may be viral hosts, such as bats, are also collected.

In July of last year, prior to this investigation, a starting team was dispatched to China, but it was known that they did not go to Wuhan, which was designated as the epicenter, but stayed only in Beijing.

When asked by the AFP news agency on whether the WHO team’s visit to China on the 4th includes a visit to Wuhan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chun-ying said, “There is no specific information.” .

A spokesman for Hwa reiterated China’s existing position that there is a possibility that Corona 19 may have individually developed in several places around the world in the second half of 2019.

China is in a position that it cannot accept the theory of the origin of Corona 19 in Wuhan. Before the outbreak in China, the virus was already circulating in India and other parts of the world.

Chinese media said, “The origin of the coronavirus is not Wuhan, China,” and argued that the virus came to China in the process of importing foreign frozen foods. However, the WHO refuted that this claim was unfounded.

In the midst of this, the US administration of Donald Trump has consistently raised the rumors of the outflow of Corona 19 to the Wuhan Institute. In recent years, Matthew Pottinger, deputy adviser to the White House National Security Council, made this claim.

On the 4th, spokesman Hwa Chun-ying criticized the United States for providing evidence to support the claim that the virus had been released at the Wuhan Virus Research Institute.

A spokesman for Hwa said, “Portinger is a high-ranking official in the US government and is making unreasonable rumors and lies,” he said. “We have to show the world the evidence to support the claim.”

Reporter Seo Yujin [email protected]