A return to China's Wuhan one year on

It's been almost a year since the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in central China in the city of Wuhan.

Before there was an outbreak here - and later, the world's pandemic.

China first alerted the World Health Organization to 27 cases of "viral pneumonia" in Wuhan on December 31st.

Since then, more than 67 million people have been infected with the virus and some 1.54 million people have died.

But aside from face masks, few hints remain of Wuhan's early role in the pandemic, even while many countries still struggle to contain the virus.

In a wet market 15 minutes drive from the epicentre of the Wuhan outbreak, shops hum with daily life.

Sellers catch and gut fish, while vistors buy vegetables, live frogs and turtles.

Vendor Nie Guangzhen shrugs off fear of the virus.

"I'm not afraid, what is there to be afraid of?" she said. "The whole world is like this now."

Some say it didn't originate in Wuhan at all.

"It's definitely not China where the virus originated. There will definitely not be the virus in central China," said fishmonger Chen. "It must have been brought over by someone else, don't you think?"

Wuhan was initially hard-hit by the coronavirus, recording over 50,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths in the early months of 2020.

Residents still remember the pressure of the 76-day lockdown they endured when the city's empty streets were bisected by kilometers of thick yellow barricades that cut off businesses and kept people at home.

But those memories are becoming more distant, as the city returns to a daily rhythm.

Wuhan has not recorded a new locally transmitted case in several months, and China's relative success in controlling the virus has become a key talking point in Chinese state media.

Local people, like Hu Hang, put it down to self-discipline and personal hygeine.

"Everyone is quite strict with personal safety measures. People are always wearing masks when outside," she said. "I have been out of Wuhan and I realize that people from outside of Wuhan would not wear masks."

The city's recovery is in sharp contrast to other major economies heading into the holiday season.

The United States recorded 15,000 deaths last week, the highest seven-day rate since April.

While European countries have rolled out tight restrictions on gatherings ahead of Christmas.