国内英语新闻:Xinhua Commentary: COVID-19 origin-tracing needs global efforts

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic is the common enemy of humanity. It is the shared responsibility of all countries concerned to act in a positive, science-based, and cooperative manner in tracing the novel coronavirus's origin.

Since their quarantine ended on Jan. 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) experts, together with Chinese experts, have conducted field visits and several rounds of scientific, professional, and candid exchanges on scientific issues of common concern. Those who talked to the media spoke highly of China's openess.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has maintained close communication and cooperation with the WHO on global origin-tracing with an open and transparent attitude. It is the third time that WHO experts have visited China for exchanges and communication on relevant issues.

In the face of accusations and doubts with ulterior motives, the WHO experts who participated in the field research have more say.

China was the first country to report the novel coronavirus outbreak to the WHO, but that does not mean that it originated in China.

There are more and more reports by international media outlets that show that COVID-19 virus and epidemic had already appeared in multiple places in the world in the second half of 2019.

Recent studies have shown that the United States, Spain, France, Italy and Brazil, and many other countries showed signs of the virus and infections long before the outbreak in China.

According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, COVID-19 antibodies were detected in blood donations collected in December 2019. It means that the virus may have already been spreading in the United States by then, earlier than Jan. 21, when the first official confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in the country.

Questions are also mounting regarding links between the biochemical research base at Fort Detrick and the COVID-19 pandemic.

More and more experts have called for the WHO to conduct origin-tracing research in more countries, and Wuhan should only be the starting point.

The purpose of international cooperation on origin-tracing is to get a deeper understanding of its animal hosts and transmission routes. It would ensure that humans could better guard against future risks and handle similar public health crises.

It is hoped that following China's example, more countries will invite WHO experts to conduct origin-tracing research. They would thereby make their due contributions to international cooperation to fight the pandemic and to build a global community of health for all.