Chinese officials have refused to allow the World Health Organization to take part in an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report Friday.
The country has reportedly declined repeated requests to let experts from the UN agency join a national probe into how the outbreak — which is now a global pandemic — emerged, according to Sky News.
“We know that some national investigation is happening but at this stage we have not been invited to join,” Dr. Gauden Galea, a WHO representative in China told the broadcaster.
As an international dispute mounts over where and how the contagion originated, Galea said he sees no valid reason why the WHO shouldn’t be involved, the outlet reported.
“WHO is making requests of the health commission and of the authorities,” Galea said. “The origins of the virus are very important, the animal-human interface is extremely important and needs to be studied.
He added, “The priority is we need to know as much as possible to prevent the reoccurrence.”
Galea expects to get an update from the Chinese government soon, he added.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Thursday he was confident the coronavirus originated at the state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology but declined to cite evidence.
But last month, a prominent Chinese official tried to blame the US army for bringing the virus to China, claiming it didn’t originate in Wuhan — the central Chinese city where the outbreak is believed to have emerged at a wild animal market — at all.
