Understanding COVID-19 origins will take years, says WHO team member

Dominic Dwyer, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), waves from a balcony at a hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 29, 2021. Picture taken January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

WUHAN, China (Reuters) - A member of the World Health Organization-led team visiting the central Chinese city of Wuhan said he has been surprised by the complexity of getting to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and that years of research lay ahead.

Dominic Dwyer, a microbiologist and infectious diseases expert, said the team in Wuhan had received the access it requested from Chinese authorities as it tries to understand the early days of the novel coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan.