China refuses international probe on Covid-19 source until 'final victory' over disease

[Igel]

3. And on 1/5 the WHO said

The causal agent has not yet been identified or confirmed.

Based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no health care worker infections have been reported.

There is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology. The reported link to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate an exposure link to animals.

Based on information provided by national authorities, WHO’s recommendations on public health measures and surveillance of influenza and severe acute respiratory infections still apply.

WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travellers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travellers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share travel history with their healthcare provider.

WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the current information available on this event.

https://www.who.int/csr/don/05-january-2020-pneumonia-of-unkown-cause-china/en/

This has been quoted as saying there *was* significant transmission and that countries should be on special lookout with special precautions. It doesn't say that. It says "same-old/same-old." The recommendations "still apply" even in the first mention of this disease. Because the recommendations apply to any respiratory illness, and follows on warnings about influenza. And it's travelers to look out for, but just get their travel information in case.

Those countries who were successful locked down travel from Wuhan/Hubei before 1/5, contrary to the WHO, and assumed that there was significant human-to-human transmission--that infection wasn't linked to animal exposure (that's not talking origin of the virus, that's talking origin of the infections. Taiwan, reports are, told the WHO that there was evidence of significant human-to-human transmission in December. The virus' genome was also apparently provisionally determined in December.

Hindsight's a great thing. And for some, it's necessary to defend one bad guy to make another look even worse.

Then there are things in hindsight like the un-peer-reviewed https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.24.20026682v1 (feidian is apparently the usual shorthand for SARS).