WHO coronavirus experts to start fieldwork in Wuhan

World Health Organisation (WHO) experts are set to start their first site visit in Wuhan. On Friday, the experts met Chinese officials. The WHO probe is set to take place in Wuhan's food market that is considered to be the "ground zero" of coronavirus pandemic. The fieldwork will start in the afternoon (local time). The team of experts will visit hospitals, and will meet scientists, first responders and early coronavirus patients

Crucially, "field visits will include the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Huanan market, Wuhan CDC laboratory", the WHO said in a tweet late Thursday -- three sites now indelibly linked with the virus.

Hunan market is considered to be first major cluster of coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Wuhan Institute of Virology houses a virus testing facility which was weaponised by former US President Donald Trump, who until his final days in office pushed the unsubstantiated theory that the virus escaped from there.

The mission's exact itinerary remains unclear -- tweets from the WHO and their experts are so far the main source of information.

The highly politicised mission has been beset by delays with China refusing access until mid-January, while Washington has demanded a "robust and clear" investigation.

China on Thursday warned the US against "political interference" during a trip which the WHO insists will be tethered tightly to the science behind how the virus jumped to humans.

Beijing is desperate to take the air out of the blame game and instead train attention on its handling and recovery from the outbreak.

In a tweet late Thursday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had had a "frank discussion" with China's Health Minister Ma Xiaowei.

"I asked that the international scientists get the support, access & data needed, and the chance to engage fully with their Chinese counterparts," he said.

The experts left a two-week quarantine on Thursday under the glare of the global media.

China's National Health Commission says 4,636 people have died in the country as a result of the virus.

The nation's GDP grew 2.3 per cent in 2020, the only major economy to do so.