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| HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images |
Preliminary findings from the World Health Organization's second investigative team examining the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic leave open the possibility that the virus was leaked from a lab and say further investigation is needed.
In its first report, the WHO's Scientific advisory group for the origins of novel pathogens said that "further investigations" are necessary to determine whether the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. This group is the second investigative group put together by the U.N. health agency after the first advisory group was hampered by interference from the Chinese government and accusations that the investigation had been politicized.
The scientists and public health advisors who participated on the investigative team said that studies on humans, animals, and the environment in china are still needed to "follow up on several gaps in our knowledge."
"For example, the source of SARS-CoV-2 and its introduction into the market is unclear and it is yet to be determined where the initial spill over event(s) occurred," the report's executive summary states. "There is a need to examine environmental samples collected from specific stalls and drains at the market in January 2020 that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in areas known to have sold live animals." --->READ MORE HERE
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| Getty Images/Getty Images |
The World Health Organization has reversed its stance on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and is now recommending a deeper probe into whether it was caused by an accident in a laboratory in China.
Coming more than two years after the virus was first detected in Wuhan, and after at least 6.3 million deaths worldwide, the move may surprise critics who accused the agency of being too quick to dismiss or downplay the lab-leak theory that put Chinese officials on the defensive, as the Associated Press reported.
Just last year, the WHO said it was “extremely unlikely” that COVID came from a lab, and more likely it jumped to humans from an animal such as a bat. In March 2021, WHO released a report about COVID-19’s origins following a highly choreographed visit by international scientists to China.
Now in a report released Thursday, WHO’s expert group said “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing. The scientists said the group would “remain open to any and all scientific evidence that becomes available in the future to allow for comprehensive testing of all reasonable hypotheses.”
Jean-Claude Manuguerra, a co-chair of the 27-member international advisory group, acknowledged that some scientists might be “allergic” to the idea of investigating the lab-leak theory but said they needed to be “open minded” enough to examine it. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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