China denied the World Health Organization access to bat caves and wildlife rearing sites in the region six hours west of Wuhan – when it was discovered that nearby animal markets were banned from selling live animals just days before Beijing acknowledged that a new virus has been discovered, according to a WHO report.
WHO scientists have tried to penetrate hundreds of bat caves in Enshi prefecture in Hubei province – west of the Chinese city where Covid-19 first emerged, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Scientists also want to investigate nearby wildlife breeding areas that were known to have spawned thousands of wildlife before the pandemic.
Scientists believe these animals may have been intermediate hosts for the spread of the virus from bats to humans, and argue that farm research is a key step in determining the origin of the pandemic, the report said.
Researchers are studying the natural transmission of the virus in addition to the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Chinese laboratory.
