Updated Jan 15, 2021 | 13:57 IST
A general consensus has been established in that, while the Huanan seafood market may have been a super-spreader location, it is almost certainly not where the virus originated. Representational image. | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
Although this is the first time that WHO scientists will sit across the table from their Chinese peers, this is not to say that the world s premier medical body has not been in constant contact with them
Researchers are also nearly certain that the virus was a natural event with the outbreak a result of zoonotic spillover
The WHO researchers will be hoping to gain access to the bloodwork conducted by China s scientists, to trace SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and establish a timeline of the outbreak
So where did it all go wrong?
For Gabriel Scally, Micheál Martin made a critical error in reopening the country in early December after a six-week lockdown. The respected public health doctor from Belfast, best known here for his report into the Cervical Check scandal, wants to make it clear that he holds the Taoiseach in high regard. He considers him a “hero” for his vision to ban smoking in the workplace 17 years ago. But he believes Martin made a terrible mistake in relaxing the rules for Christmas.
“While other countries were stepping up restrictions, Ireland was greatly easing them,” he says. “The case numbers were still high, yet restaurants and pubs [serving food] were opening and people were able to travel and call to other households. You had a lot of people flying into the country too. It was a disaster.”
Ongoing transmission dynamics show the world needs to brace for an even tougher year of fighting Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, while the disease has turned into the "perfect storm" in Europe and the US. "We are going.