World may never find COVID patient zero, WHO says

Published January 16, 2021 7:04am

File photo of sellers and costumers wearing face masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city are seen at a market in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province. -- Agence France-Pesse

GENEVA, Switzerland - The world may never find "patient zero" in its search for the origins of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Maria Van Kerkhove, World Health Organization's technical lead on the disease, said on Friday.

Patient Zero refers to the person identified as the first carrier of a communicable disease in an outbreak of related cases.

A WHO-led team investigating the origins of COVID-19 is to hold virtual meetings with its Chinese hosts in Wuhan, where the pandemic first emerged more than a year ago. -- Reuters

Tags: COVID-19, patient zero