https://apnews.com/article/who-looking-wuhan-coronavirus-origin-fb791cfdbad2f7db643f790ae4cccc8c
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Understanding the Outbreak
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January 15, 2021 GMT
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2020, file photo, workers in protective gear carry a bag containing a giant salamander that was reported to have escaped from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. A 10-member team of international researchers from the World Health Organization hopes to find clues as to the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected in late 2019. (Chinatopix via AP, File)
The industrial and transportation hub on the Yangtze River is the first place the coronavirus surfaced in the world. It's possible that the virus came to Wuhan undetected from elsewhere, but the city of 11 million is a logical place for the mission to start.
People began falling ill in December 2019, many with links to a sprawling food market that dealt in live animals. The growing number of patients triggered alarms that prompted China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention to send a team to investigate.
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WHAT IS THE TEAM'S AGENDA?
Full Coverage: Coronavirus pandemic
China has firmly rejected calls for an independent outside investigation. The head of the WHO recently expressed impatience with how long China took to make necessary arrangements for the expert team's visit.
State media continue to play up reports that suggest the virus could have originated elsewhere. In announcing the experts' visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said "the tracing of the virus origin will most likely involve multiple countries and localities."