MOSCOW -- The novel coronavirus could have existed in a dormant state long before its outbreak, Melita Vujnovic, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Russia, has said.

"WHO has established a large team that will work together with Chinese scientists to analyze the origin of the virus," Vujnovic said in a recent interview with RIA Novosti news agency.

"This virus lived in animals and at some point passed to humans. It's hard to say when and where this happened. It's being investigated. Viruses can be found in waste water. But nothing can be said specifically," she said.

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KIGALI -- A top Rwandan diplomat this weekend has appealed to Rwandan students in the United States to be prepared for uncertainty as the Trump administration announced its controversial visa policy for international students.

Foreign students currently in the United States on F-1 and M-1 visas "must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status," if their school's classes are entirely online in the fall semester, announced the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this week.

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WASHINGTON -- The United States is trapped in "a dark Covid hole" with "no plan to get out," the CNN said in a recent in-depth analysis.

"There are only contradictions, obfuscations and confusion from the federal officials who ought to be charting a national course," said the analysis published Friday, citing "leadership vacuum" as the reason behind U.S. failure in epidemic control.

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RAMALLAH -- Palestine can be a model in the battle against the novel coronavirus, despite its limited medical capabilities, senior Palestinian officials have said.

Late on Friday, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila announced that her ministry would send more medical teams to help hospitals in Hebron, the epicenter of the latest COVID-19 wave.

Al-Kaila said that the ministry has been working "collectively and in partnership with the private sectors, specialists, regulatory powers and governors" to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Enditem

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