The U.S. State Department said Friday night that it’s reason to believe ‘scientists in Wuhan, China, may be infected with the coronavirus in the fall of 2019, but Beijing has worked hard to conduct a transparent investigation into the origins of to prevent the virus. .
In a statement, the agency said it believed several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology had symptoms similar to COVID-19 and other seasonal diseases.
“The [Chinese Communist Party] “prevented independent journalists, investigators and global health authorities from conducting interviews with researchers at the WIV, including those who fell ill in the autumn of 2019,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding that researchers and a full report of their illness not previously reported. ‘
The virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019 – China confirmed on December 31 that it was treating a pneumonia-like virus.
The first death was reported on January 11th.
In March, the South China Morning Post reported that the first person infected with the disease may have contracted it on November 17, 2019.
By the end of March, the US had more confirmed cases than any other country.
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The U.S. government says there are still so many unknowns about COVID-19, including whether the outbreak may have started through contact with infected animals or as a result of a laboratory accident. Accidental laboratory infections, the foreign ministry noted, have caused previous outbreaks in China.
The ruling Communist Party holds information firmly and is particularly concerned about possible revelations about the handling of the virus that could open it up to international criticism and financial demands.
China has stifled independent reports of the outbreak and has published little information on its search for the virus’ origins.
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The World Health Organization sent scientists to Wuhan this week to investigate the origin and spread of COVID-19, after months of back-and-forth discussions with Beijing.
China has vehemently rejected calls for an independent external inquiry. The head of the WHO recently expressed impatience about how long it took China to make the necessary arrangements for the visit of the expert team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.