WHO representatives count 13 strains of coronavirus in China

Head of the international expert group of the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialist on zoonotic infections and food security, Peter Ben Embarek, spoke about the new findings on the situation with the coronavirus in Wuhan in December 2019, Report informs, referring to RIA Novosti.

He said that China provided WHO experts with data on only 174 cases of infection recorded during that period. However, the real number of cases was much higher since only patients with a severe form of the disease sought help, Embarek noted. Such patients account for only 15 percent of cases, and most of all, COVID takes place in a mild form, he added.

"There is reason to believe that in December 2019, at least 1,000 people were infected with 13 different strains of COVID in Wuhan, where the first outbreak of coronavirus infection occurred," Embarek said in an interview with CNN.

He pointed out that some virus variants began to spread from local markets, but others had nothing to do with them.