A joint study released on Tuesday by the World Health Organization and Chinese officials on the origins of COVID-19 found that all available evidence suggests the virus is likely to have a “natural animal origin”, but that it is not possible at this stage to “precisely determine” how humans were initially infected in China.
TIA WEB DESK
World Health Organization, WHO has called for further studies, data on origin of SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has reiterated that all hypotheses remain open on the issue. Releasing a report on the global tracing of Covid-19 origins of the international team on their Wuhan field visit, from 14 January to 10 February this year was published yesterday as WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for further studies.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that data was withheld from World Health Organization investigators who travelled to China to research the origins of the coronavirus epidemic. Tedros also told that the visiting team expressed the difficulties in accessing raw data. He was briefing media in Geneva after the release of Independent panel of experts on the origin of Corona virus. The WHO DG said he does not believe that the assessment by the panel of experts was enough as he called for further researches to have more robust conclusions.
The report stems from a Member State resolution adopted by consensus at the World Health Assembly in May 2020 and calling on WHO to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population. In remarks to Member States, Dr Tedros said as far as WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table. He said this report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end. WHO chief said they have not yet found the source of the virus, and they must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned. Dr Tedros said that finding the origin of a virus takes time and they owe it to the world to find the source so they can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. He reminded that no single research trip can provide all the answers.
The virus was first detected in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province in late 2019.The Chinese government has dismissed the allegations of a virus leak.
The team of scientists came from around the world: Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Qatar, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Viet Nam. The joint international team comprised 17 Chinese and 17 international experts from 10 other countries as well as the World Organization for Animal Health and WHO.
Shortly after release of the report, the United States and 13 allies including South Korea, Australia and the UK, voiced concern over the report and urged China to provide “full access” to experts. The statement said the mission to Wuhan was “significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples”. US President Joe Biden believes Americans deserve better information about the origin of Covid-19 and further steps from the global community, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.