WHO experts arrived in the Chinese city of Wuhan to explain the origins of the pandemic coronavirus

At the time, China reported the first case of death from a coronavirus infection in eight months.

Ten scientists, whose missions have been awaited for many months, will have to spend two weeks in quarantine before starting work in Wuhan.

The new coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan late last year. The infection quickly spread beyond China’s borders, causing chaos and paralyzing economies around the world. In just over a year since COVID-19, nearly 2 million people have died worldwide. people.

The report, shown by the state broadcaster CGTN, showed an airplane flying out of Singapore with WHO experts greeted by Chinese officials wearing protective suits.

AFP / Scanpix photo / WHO experts arrived in Wuhan, China

Experts begin their mission when more than 20 million people in northern China. people are once again living in quarantine conditions, and an emergency has been declared in one of the provinces, with a rapid increase in the number of infections in the country again. In the previous few months, the incidence of COVID-19 in China has been relatively low.

China has managed to contain the initial COVID-19 outbreak by introducing a chain of stringent quarantines and mass testing campaigns. However, on Thursday, the National Health Commission reported 138 new cases of infection, mostly daily since March last year.

Outbreaks of the virus in China are small compared to many other countries struggling with soaring morbidity and record mortality. However, the first death in eight months in eastern Hebei province triggered an alarm in China.

Beijing is in a hurry to eliminate local hotspots as Chinese New Year approaches, according to the lunar calendar. Typically, hundreds of millions of Chinese travel to visit relatives and friends during this celebration.

No details have been provided about the patient’s most recent death, other than the fact that the man died in Hebei Province, where the government has imposed strict quarantine in several cities.

Northeastern Heilongjiang Province declared a “state of emergency” on Wednesday, declaring its 37.5 million population not to leave the province except in the most urgent cases. Gangs in public places were also banned in the region.

In mainland China, deaths from people infected with coronavirus have not been recorded since May last year. Official figures show that 4,635 people with coronavirus infection have died in the country to date.