A worker in a protective overall disinfects a vehicle from the World Health Organization convoy at thw Baishazhou wholesale market on Jan 31, 2021. WUHAN: A World Health Organization team looking into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday visited a market known to be the food distribution center for the Chinese city of Wuhan during the 76-day lockdown last year.
The team members were seen walking through sections of the Baishazhou market - one of the largest wet markets in Wuhan - surrounded by a large entourage of Chinese officials and representatives.The members, with expertise in veterinarian, virology, food safety and epidemiology, have so far visited two hospitals at the center of the early outbreak -Ken Maeda of the World Health Organization team prepares to leave for a third day of field visits in Wuhan, Jan 31, 2021.
A single visit by scientists is unlikely to confirm the virus’s origins. Pinning down an outbreak’s animal reservoir is typically an exhaustive endeavor that takes years of research including taking animal samples, genetic analysis and epidemiological studies. A plainclothes security personnel uses his umbrella to block journalists from filming after the World Health Organization team arrive at the Baishazhou wholesale market, Jan 31, 2021. One possibility is that a wildlife poacher might have passed the virus to traders who carried it to Wuhan.