Professor Marion Koopmans, scientific director Emerging Infectious Diseases of the NCOH and Head of the Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC, was part of the WHO mission to Wuhan taking place in January-February this year. The outcomes of this mission – published on March 30 2021 – showed the urgent need for more One Health research.

Professor Marion Koopmans, scientific director Emerging Infectious Diseases of the NCOH and Head of the Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC, was part of the WHO mission to Wuhan taking place in January-February this year. The outcomes of this mission – published on March 30 2021 – showed the urgent need for more One Health research as the zoonotic source of the virus SARS-CoV-2 and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts, is not yet found. In the words of Dr. Tedros, WHO director: “Finding the origin of a virus takes time and we owe it to the world to find the source so we can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. No single research trip can provide all the answers.”

Interested to know more about the outcomes of this mission?

Please find enclosed links from the press conference on the release of the report on the Wuhan field visit on the origins of the virus SARS-CoV-2 virus on 30 March:

• Media briefing audio file (length 1hr 25mins)
• Media briefing video file (length 1hr 25mins)
• Press release
• Report
• WHO Director-General’s remarks about the report
• Prof. Marion Koopmans and Dr. Peter Ben Embarek share their story on working at and with WHO and reflect on the world’s most important case of contact tracing in the NCOH Webinar recorded on 18 March
• Prof. Marion Koopmans was interviewed by John Vause @CNN about the WHO report on Covid origins