Li led the main group of officials in China who dealt with the coronavirus. (File)
Beijing:
As China struggles to deflect criticism of the origin of Wuhan’s new coronavirus, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday that it was important to have a clear idea of the source of the deadly virus and supported efforts to find it on the science basis.
After firmly denying US allegations of coronavirus from a bio-laboratory in its first epicenter in Wuhan, Chinese researchers on Wednesday refuted the widespread opinion that the deadly virus originated from a wet city market selling living animals.
Recent Shanghai-based research targeting local confirmed cases of coronaviruses has once again proven that attacks on a seafood market in Wuhan for the origin of the virus are absurd, official media reported.
Study results, published on the website of the largest academic journal Nature on May 20, imply that the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, may not be the birthplace of COVID- 19, although the Wuhan virus epidemic has a strong connection to market contact, Global Times reported, a public agency.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the virus and the recent resolution adopted by the World Health Assembly to conduct a thorough study of the virus, Li at his annual press conference said that the virus surprised everyone because it is a new disease.
Li led the main group of officials in China who dealt with the coronavirus with the Wuhan lockdown on January 23.
“China and many other countries think it is important to have a clear idea of the source of the new coronavirus,” said Li.
China is one of the co-sponsors of the WHA resolution, he said, adding that “we believe that eliminating the source of the virus on the basis of science will help us contain the spread of COVID -19 “.
Avoiding dwelling on the controversy over its origin, Li said China would continue to adopt an open and transparent science-based approach to dealing with COVID-19.
China is open to international cooperation on research and development of vaccines, drugs and test reagents for COVID-19, and is ready to share deliverables with the world, said Li.
According to him, although China has managed to control the coronavirus, the country “has not yet come to an end.
There are still sporadic cases in China. Scientists have warned us to remain alert to avoid a resurgence of the disease. “
“We must continue to adopt an open and transparent science-based approach to deal with COVID-19,” he said. “Any infection must be treated quickly and no concealment will be allowed.”
“Many people say that COVID-19 may not end soon and that we may have to live with it for a while. All countries face two challenges. It’s like doing double exams. We must contain the spread of the virus and do our best to bring life and work back to normal, “he said.
“I fear that there is some level of conflict of interest between the two objectives. We must do our utmost to find a delicate balance and continue to explore our way forward. In this process, international cooperation is of vital importance, “he added. .
Worldwide, 5.6 million people have been declared infected and 354,983 deaths have occurred since the virus first emerged in the city of Wuhan in central China at the end of last year.
