WHO Report Calls for Further Studies and More Data on Origin of SARS-Cov-2 Virus; Report Reiterates That All Hypotheses Remain Open; Mystery of Virus Origin Unsolved and Controversy Swirls Over Possible Chinese Bias in WHO-Organized Investigation

The report of the international team on its Wuhan, China field visit, from 14 January 14 to February 10, 2021, was published today (March 30, 2021) (https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus/origins-of-the-virus), as WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for further studies. 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, including the possible role of intermediate hosts, including through efforts such as scientific and collaborative field missions.” In remarks to Member States today, Dr. Tedros, who received the full report on the weekend, thanked the team for its tireless work. He said it advances our understanding in important ways, while raising questions that will need to be addressed by further studies, as noted in the report. “As far as WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table. This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end. We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do,” said Dr. Tedros. “Finding the origin of a virus takes time and we owe it to the world to find the source so we can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. No single research trip can provide all the answers.” The WHO report is available on this webpage: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus/origins-of-the-virus.
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