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WHO Finds No Evidence of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Wuhan Before December 2019

VOA News

   The leader of international experts investigating the origins of
   COVID-19 in China says they saw no evidence of large outbreaks of the
   disease prior to its December 2019 discovery in the city of Wuhan.

   Peter Ben Embarek, an expert in viral illnesses for the World Health
   Organization, said Tuesday in Wuhan that his team's findings indicate
   COVID-19 probably originated in bats, but says it is unlikely the bats
   were in Wuhan.

   The team visited the city's Huanan Seafood Market, which was initially
   believed to be the epicenter of the outbreak, the Wuhan Institute of
   Virology and laboratories at state facilities, including the Wuhan
   Center for Disease Control.

   Embarek said at a news conference the theory that the virus leaked from
   a laboratory is extremely unlikely, and that his team will not
   investigate it further.

   Embarek said the most likely pathway for the virus was a crossover into
   humans from an intermediary species, which he said "could have been
   very convoluted." He also said the idea that COVID-19 can be
   transmitted through trade in frozen products is possible.

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