COVID-19 may have spread in Wuhan, but originated elsewhere – WHO expert

Vladimir Dedkov, a member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) expert team on Saturday said that Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market may have made it possible for the novel COVID-19 pandemic to spread, but that doesn’t mean the virus originated there.

“There is no evidence that the virus originated there’’ but hypothetically, there are all conditions for the spread of the virus there,” Vladimir was quoted by Sputnik.

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The seafood market was linked to an early cluster of COVID-19 cases, but scientists are yet to come to an unequivocal conclusion regarding the role it played in the contagion.

Dedkov also refuted the theory of a virus leakage while visiting the Wuhan Institute of Virology along with nine other WHO experts on Wednesday.

“Of course, it was important for our mission to visit this facility, talk to our colleagues and see how everything is organised there,’’ the expert said.

“The laboratory is perfectly equipped.

“It is hard for me to imagine that something could have leaked from there,’’ he added. (Xinhua/NAN)