Source of COVID-19: Will WHO experts in China bring out the truth?

Two experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have arrived in China for research on the source of the new coronavirus, the country's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed on Monday.

A panel of two experts from the WHO has arrived in China for research on the source of the new coronavirus, the country's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed on Monday. As per CGTN media reports, Hua, at the daily press briefing, was quoted as saying that the two experts will cooperate with Chinese scientists and medical experts and discuss related questions, but did not provide details on the experts' itinerary in China.

Hua said the experts might also make a similar trip to other countries and regions. "WHO also believes that to trace the source of the virus is a continuous and developing process, which may involve multiple countries and regions. WHO will conduct similar inspections in other countries and regions as needed," Hua told reporters.

"Knowing the source of the virus is very, very important," WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said last month. "It's science, it's public health, we can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started," he said.

Scientists have speculated that the virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly in a market in Wuhan, after the outbreak in China was reported in December 2019. However, recently, traces of the virus have been found in France and Italy, while in Spain, researchers found positive samples of COVID-19 in sewage water collected in March 2019.