“Inconclusive” results for the four-year investigation on the origin of Covid-19. Laboratory leak hypothesis “cannot be investigated or excluded”
All the assumptions about the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic remain open, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday, following an investigation that lasted four years and is inconclusive, being disturbed by the retaining of crucial information, AFP reports.
According to WHO, the global catastrophe killed an estimated number of 20 million people, destroying savings and paralyzing health systems.
The first cases were detected in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, and understanding the origin of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid's disease, is considered to be an essential aspect to prevent future pandemic.
However, the long investigation launched by the United Nations Sanitary Agency (UN) shows that, while waiting for additional data, Covid origins and how it has been initially spread will remain inconclusive.
“In the current stage, all assumptions must remain on the table, including zoonotic propagation and leakage from the laboratory,” said WHO chief Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses regarding the beginning of the pandemic.
Investigations started in 2021
After many delays, a team of WHO experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to investigate the origins of the virus, in cooperation with their Chinese counterparts.
Their common report of March 2021 concluded that the most likely hypothesis was that the virus transmitted from bats to humans through an intermediate animal.
They also considered the theory “that the theory that could escape from Wuhan virology laboratories.
However, the investigation faced harsh criticism for lack of transparency and access and because it did not seriously evaluate the theory of leakage in the laboratory.
WHO has launched another investigation, setting up the scientific advisory group for the origins of new pathogens (SAGO) in July 2021.
The group's 27 expert report was published on Friday.
“Until new information requests will be satisfied or more scientific data will be available, the origins of SARS-COV-2 and how it has entered the human population will remain inconclusive,” said Sago president, Marietjie Venter.
She also mentioned that “it is not yet clear” if the Wuhan seafood market was indeed the place from which the virus for the first time was spread to humans.
Regarding the theories regarding leakage in the laboratory, she said that much of the information needed to evaluate this hypothesis have not been made available, so “it cannot be investigated or excluded.”
“In the last five years, I have learned a lot about Covid-19, but there is a crucial question about pandemic I haven't answered yet: how it started,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Despite our repeated requests, China has not provided hundreds of viral sequences from people with Covid-19 from the beginning of the pandemic, more detailed information about animals sold in Wuhan markets and information on work and biosecurity conditions in Wuhan laboratories,” said WHO chief.
“WHO is also up-to-date with intelligence reports made by other governments around the world on Covid-19 origins. We also asked for access to these reports,” the official said.
