Michael J Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization (WHO), says the main priority for the body's teams working on the ground in China is first and foremost to learn, as well as to understand the nature of "one of the largest public health responses in history in China." 

Ryan said learning more about novel coronavirus, the investigations that have been carried out by Chinese scientists and epidemiologists, and to understand the nature of the public health response are all priorities for the teams on the ground in China.

He added that there are lessons to be learnt from the response to the crisis at all levels and that efforts will be made to look into the origins of this strain of coronavirus. 

Speaking about the collaboration between those involved, Ryan said: "Many of these people actually know each other already, this is not a voyage into the dark – this is going to reconnect with scientists that we're already working with on a day-to-day basis over many years. So this is about increasing the levels of co-operation, not establishing co-operation."