An investigation by the Associated Press has revealed that the Chinese government froze efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly supporting an open scientific inquiry. The freeze began in the early weeks of the outbreak and involved political and scientific infighting in China, as well as international challenges. Bureaucrats in Wuhan misled the central government, Chinese scientists were silenced, and the World Health Organization may have missed critical opportunities to gather information.
Secrecy shrouded the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, with uncertainties surrounding the date Chinese authorities first started searching for the virus’ origins. A probe of the Wuhan market on Dec. 25, 2019, was mentioned by WHO’s top virus expert in a confidential meeting, but China and the WHO have not publicly acknowledged it. The investigation into the market that day could be crucial in understanding how COVID-19 jumped to humans, as animal samples may provide critical evidence.
The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus, Zhang Yongzhen, faced repercussions after urging health authorities to act quickly. China’s top health official ordered his lab closed just one day after he sent a memo. As criticism of China’s response grew, the government avoided firing health officials and instead declared their virus response a success. There were no real reforms implemented, as reforms would require admitting fault.
Early on, Chinese scientists were silenced, and politicians took control of the investigation. When negotiating with China for a mission to investigate COVID-19, the terms were decided by China’s Foreign Ministry, not scientists. Liang Wannian, an epidemiologist close to top Chinese officials, led the WHO visit but promoted implausible theories about the virus’s origins. The hunt for the virus’ origins in Wuhan became highly politicized.
By the time WHO led another visit to Wuhan in January 2021, the origins hunt had become politicized. Liang organized market workers to mislead WHO experts and pushed an implausible theory that COVID-19 originated from frozen food imported into China. The WHO team concluded a lab leak was “extremely unlikely”, but WHO chief Tedros later called for more transparency from China. Chinese scientists are still under heavy pressure, with some facing repercussions for publishing papers on the coronavirus.
As a result of the challenges and tensions surrounding the investigation into the origins of COVID-19, global cooperation has stalled. Chinese scientists remain under pressure, facing restrictions and repercussions for their work. The head of the China CDC Institute of Viral Disease was forced to retire over the release of sensitive market data. Chinese authorities are still wary of further investigations into the origins of the virus, fearing implications if the virus is found to have originated in China.
