WHO team visits lab at centre of controversy
WUHAN: A team of investigators led by the World Health Organization visited a virus research laboratory in China’s central city of Wuhan and met with a prominent virologist there in its search for clues to the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The experts spent about 3-1/2 hours at the heavily-guarded Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the centre of some conspiracy theories that claim a laboratory leak caused the city’s first coronavirus outbreak at the end of 2019.
“Extremely important meeting today with staff at WIV including Dr Shi Zhengli. Frank, open discussion. Key questions asked & answered,” team member Peter Daszak said.
Shi, a well-known virus hunter who is known popularly as “Bat Woman” was among the first last year to isolate Sarscov-2.
Most scientists reject the hypothesis of a lab leak. However, some experts speculate a virus captured from the wild could have figured in lab experiments and then escaped via an infected staff member.
BEIJING/LONDON: A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) visited China’s top virus research lab in Wuhan on Wednesday as part of their probe into the origins of the Covid-19 virus, reports from the central Chinese city said. Scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology research on some of the deadliest pathogens found in the world, including the bat-hosted coronavirus.
One theory – so far unproven – says that the initial outbreak in Wuhan may have been triggered by an accidental virus leak from the bio-safety lab. Questions also remain about a possible spillover event where the virus could have jumped from an animal host to humans.
“I am looking forward to a very productive day, meeting the key people and asking all the important questions that need to be asked,” team member Peter Daszak, who is the president of the Ecohealth Alliance, said from his car at the institute.
Peter Ben Embarek, a scientist leading the WHO team, told the tabloid Global Times that the international experts will meet Shi Zhengli, a leading Chinese virologist. Shi has been dubbed as China’s “bat woman” because of her intensive research on bats and the viruses they host.
Single dose of Oxford jab good for 12 weeks: Study
Britain’s health chief said on Wednesday that a new study suggesting that a single dose of the Oxford-astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine provides a high level of protection for 12 weeks supports the government’s strategy of delaying the second shot so more people can quickly be
protected by the first dose.
Britain’s decision was criticised as risky by other European countries, but health secretary Matt Hancock said the study “backs the strategy we’ve taken and it shows the world that the Oxford vaccine works”.
UK says 10mn people have been vaccinated
Ten million people in the UK have been given the coronavirus vaccine, as the government’s programme to immunise the most vulnerable groups makes rapid progress. The UK is on track to provide shots to 15 million citizens and carers at greatest risk by February 15.