| UPDATED: 09:37, Thu, Dec 24, 2020
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Professor Shi Zhengli, of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), has said she personally will “welcome” the investigation from the WHO, which will take place in Wuhan in January. WHO members will begin their inquiry in January, but are not expected to investigate the theory that COVID-19 began from a leak from the WIV. The professor, along with the Chinese government, had previously angrily dismissed suggestions the pandemic began after a sample of the virus leaked from the la
Chinese coronavirus whistleblower would welcome WHO probe into Wuhan lab-leak claims
Conspiracy theorists claim Covid-19 could have originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the epicentre of the virus, but renowned scientist Professor Shi Zhengli denies the theory
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A Chinese scientist at the centre of unsubstantiated claims that the coronavirus leaked from her laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan has told the BBC she is open to any kind of visit to rule it out.
The surprise statement from Prof Shi Zhengli comes as a World Health Organization team prepares to travel to Wuhan next month to begin its investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
The remote district of Tongguan, in China s south-western province of Yunnan, is hard to reach at the best of times. But when a BBC team tried to visit recently, it was impossible.
John SextonPosted at 1:32 pm on December 22, 2020
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Yesterday the BBC published an interesting piece about the origin of the coronavirus. The piece notes that a team of scientists working for WHO are belatedly examining the evidence for the virus’ origins in China. The group of 10 is scheduled to visit Wuhan next month to examine the wet market once thought to be the site where the virus may have jumped from some intermediate mammal to humans.
In light of that pending visit the BBC sent questions to Dr. Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Dr. Shi is the person who has been collecting hundreds of coronaviruses from bats in the south of China and bringing them back to Wuhan for study. She seemed eager to do anything that would clear her name and that of the WIV from the suspicion that a lab leak of some kind was the origin of the virus:
BBC News
By John Sudworth
media captionA BBC team came across roadblocks as they tried to report on research into viruses that bats carry
A Chinese scientist at the centre of unsubstantiated claims that the coronavirus leaked from her laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan has told the BBC she is open to any kind of visit to rule it out.
The surprise statement from Prof Shi Zhengli comes as a World Health Organization team prepares to travel to Wuhan next month to begin its investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
The remote district of Tongguan, in China s south-western province of Yunnan, is hard to reach at the best of times. But when a BBC team tried to visit recently, it was impossible.