Chinese authorities are preparing to test hundreds of thousands of blood samples at Wuhan blood banks as part of an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, CNN reported on the 12th (local time).
An official from China’s National Health Commission told CNN that blood samples will be tested soon. Chinese officials said they have kept blood samples for the past two years in case evidence is needed in a blood donation lawsuit.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission of Inquiry said in February that 200,000 blood samples stored at the Wuhan Blood Bank may contain important information to determine when and where the virus spread to humans.
Yan Zhong Huang, senior researcher for international health at the American Foreign Relations Association (CFR), said, “The (Wuhan) blood samples will be an important clue to the timing of the outbreak.” Maureen Miller, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, said “The samples contain very important clues,” said Professor Miller. “If you analyze the samples, you can determine who was first infected, where they got the infection, their age and occupation, etc.” “It is common practice to verify the identity of a sample.” . It is possible to obtain data such as age, gender, and where they lived.”
However, Professor Miller urged China to allow foreign experts to observe the process. “Without at least a qualified observer, no one will believe China’s report of results,” he added. “Blood samples are an important opportunity to determine when the virus spread from China to humans,” said Dr. William Schaffnan, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
He suggested bringing the samples to Geneva, Switzerland or another neutral location, where the WHO headquarters is located, so that WHO experts can participate in the analysis of blood samples.
China has been cooperating with the WHO investigation, claiming that the investigation in Wuhan was conducted transparently. The WHO primary investigation team concluded that it is extremely unlikely that the coronavirus may have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. The WHO is said to be preparing a new team of biosecurity experts, geneticists and animal disease experts to resume investigations into the origins of COVID-19.
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