Thursday, February 18, 2021

In Hunt for Covid-19 Origin, WHO Team Focuses on Two Animal Types in China

Investigators say that ferret badgers and rabbits sold at Wuhan market could have played a role in COVID-19 spreading to humans. The WHO team probing the pandemic's origins say further investigation is needed into the suppliers of these animals and other ones at the market. However, the WHO team is not sure if the virus jumped from animals to humans at the market or if it was circulating elsewhere first. The WHO team want China to conduct a widespread testing of its milk farms after the discovery that the virus spread back and forth between mink and humans in Europe. The cooperation of China has been precarious as WHO's access to local scientists and their data is all dependent on the cooperation from Beijing. 

The continuing uncertainty over how, when and where the virus first spread to humans is feeding international tensions between the U.S. and China. It will be fascinating to see how the relationship between the U.S. and China proceeds. Moreover, how the international system will change in order to respond better in the possibility that another pandemic occurs. 

-Katie Huey, Blog Post #3

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-hunt-for-covid-19-origin-who-team-focuses-on-two-animal-types-in-china-11613665015



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