by Ten World Health Organization scientists will visit China from Thursday to probe the origins of Covid-19, authorities said, more than a year after the pandemic began and amid accusations Beijing has tried to thwart the investigation.
The WHO team “will conduct joint research cooperation on the origins of Covid-19 with Chinese scientists”, the National Health Commission said in a statement that provided no further details.
A last-minute delay to the mission earlier this month earned China a rare rebuke from the head of the WHO.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “very disappointed” China had not authorised the team’s entry – especially as two members were already en route.
Beijing sought to downplay the tension, however, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying calling it a “misunderstanding”.
The WHO experts will have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival, but are expected later to visit Wuhan – the city where the deadly virus was first detected in late 2019.
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The US and Australia have led international calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of the virus, putting China under significant pressure amid growing calls for accountability.
Beijing has faced international criticism over its lack of transparency during the initial outbreak, although domestically the government has praised its own handling of the outbreak and stifled any criticism.
Government officials have repeatedly said that tracing the origins of the pandemic was a “scientific matter”, and has even pushed theories it originated outside China.
There is little dispute that the virus emerged in late 2019 at a wet market in Wuhan where wildlife was sold as food, and the pathogen is believed to have originated in an undetermined bat species.
Meanwhile, China has seen its biggest daily increase in Covid-19 cases in more than five months as new infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continued to rise.
A county in the northeastern Heilongjiang province today moved into lockdown after reporting new novel coronavirus infections, state television also reported separately.
Hebei accounted for 82 of the 85 new local infections reported on yesterday, the National Health Commission said in a statement, with Liaoning Province also reporting two new cases and Beijing reporting one new case. The country also saw 18 new imported infections from overseas.
The total number of new Covid-19 cases stood at 103, the highest since 127 cases were reported on 30 July.
Though the recent case tallies remain a small fraction ofwhat the country saw at the height of the outbreak in early2020, authorities are moving aggressively to curb its spread toavoid another national wave of infections.
Pacific’s Micronesia records first Covid-19 case
The remote Pacific nation of Micronesia has recorded its first case of Covid-19, ending its run as one of the few places on Earth without the coronavirus.
President David Panuelo acknowledged the development was “alarming” for the country’s 100,000 inhabitants but said the case had been contained at the border.
“For this reason, citizens across the nation should remain calm,” he said in a televised address.
“Do not panic because the situation is contained.”
Mr Panuelo said the positive test came from a crewman on a government ship, which had been in the Philippines undergoing repairs.
He said the man and his colleagues remained on the vessel, which was anchored in a lagoon under round-the-clock surveillance.
Far-flung Pacific island nations have been among the most successful in the world at keeping out the virus after closing their borders early in response to the threat, despite the huge cost to tourism-reliant economies.
Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and now Micronesia have lost their virus-free status, although none have so far reported community transmission.
Vanuatu is among the Pacific islands to have lost its Covid-free status
The island nations and territories of Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu are believed to still be free of the coronavirus.
The cautious approach adopted in the Pacific islands was prompted by fears they are particularly vulnerable because of poor hospital infrastructure and high rates of underlying health conditions such as obesity and heart disease.
Young Japanese celebrate Coming of Age Day under Covid’s shadow
Young women in colourful traditional clothes, masks and white stoles braved cold weather in lines and sat seats apart from one another in Yokohama to mark Japan’s Coming of Age Day, even though the city is under a state of emergency.
The ceremonies were cancelled in many cities and parties were discouraged to stem a rise in Covid-19 infections.
On the second Monday in January every year, people who have turned or are about to turn 20 take part in ceremonies in local event halls or other large-scale venues to celebrate the rite of passage to adulthood.
A ‘Coming-of-Age Day’ celebration ceremony in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture
The occasion, which is observed with a national holiday, serves in effect as class reunions for some and represents one of the major child-rearing milestones for parents.
Of Tokyo’s 23 wards, all but one have cancelled or postponed the ceremonies, opting instead to offer mayors’ congratulatory remarks online. The government last week declared a state of emergency for the capital and three surrounding prefectures.
Yokohama city, south of Tokyo, went ahead with celebrations at Pacifico Yokohama North convention hall and Yokohama Arena event hall.
Participants wore face masks, had their temperature checks and were asked just to listen to the national anthem, instead of singing it out loud.
Japan has seen coronavirus cases total around 289,000, with 4,067 deaths, according to public broadcaster NHK.
