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dpa
Beijing
Two experts from a 15-member international team commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to research the origins of the coronavirus pandemic were not allowed to enter China after failing a coronavirus antibody test.
The two scientists were prevented from boarding their plane to Wuhan during a layover in Singapore after they “tested positive for IgM antibodies,” the WHO said. They are now being re-tested.
Antibody tests look for signs in the blood as to whether a person has been exposed to the coronavirus. The presence of IgM antibodies might be an early sign of infection or it could mean the person was once infected but now no longer is.
In a series of tweets, the WHO said all team members had taken both PCR tests, which look for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and antibody tests, which look for the immune system’s response. All came back negative, the WHO said.
All of the 15 experts also tested negative on the PCR tests conducted in Singapore.
The rest of the team arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where they must now undergo a two-week quarantine. The WHO says they will still be able to conduct work while isolating.
Their mission is to work with Chinese scientists to investigate whether the virus can be traced back to its origins.
The novel coronavirus which causes the Covid-19 disease was first discovered over a year ago in the central Chinese metropolis.
The search for the origin of the virus is politically sensitive as China fears being fingered as the culprit for the coronavirus pandemic.
For months Chinese authorities have been casting doubt on whether the virus originated in China at all.
They point to unconfirmed reports that there may have first been possible infections in other countries. They also say traces of the virus on imported frozen goods are evidence that the virus could have come from abroad.
Researchers, on the other hand, suspect bats from southern China as the original transmitters of the
disease.
Beijing
Two experts from a 15-member international team commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to research the origins of the coronavirus pandemic were not allowed to enter China after failing a coronavirus antibody test.
The two scientists were prevented from boarding their plane to Wuhan during a layover in Singapore after they “tested positive for IgM antibodies,” the WHO said. They are now being re-tested.
Antibody tests look for signs in the blood as to whether a person has been exposed to the coronavirus. The presence of IgM antibodies might be an early sign of infection or it could mean the person was once infected but now no longer is.
In a series of tweets, the WHO said all team members had taken both PCR tests, which look for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and antibody tests, which look for the immune system’s response. All came back negative, the WHO said.
All of the 15 experts also tested negative on the PCR tests conducted in Singapore.
The rest of the team arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where they must now undergo a two-week quarantine. The WHO says they will still be able to conduct work while isolating.
Their mission is to work with Chinese scientists to investigate whether the virus can be traced back to its origins.
The novel coronavirus which causes the Covid-19 disease was first discovered over a year ago in the central Chinese metropolis.
The search for the origin of the virus is politically sensitive as China fears being fingered as the culprit for the coronavirus pandemic.
For months Chinese authorities have been casting doubt on whether the virus originated in China at all.
They point to unconfirmed reports that there may have first been possible infections in other countries. They also say traces of the virus on imported frozen goods are evidence that the virus could have come from abroad.
Researchers, on the other hand, suspect bats from southern China as the original transmitters of the
disease.
