Geneva:
The head of the World Health Organization stated Friday that all hypotheses on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic remained on the table, following an investigation mission in China.
The WHO’s mission to Wuhan, exactly where the very first instances had been identified, failed to determine the supply of the virus but poured cold water on the theory that it leaked from the city’s virology laboratory.
At a press conference in Geneva alongside mission head Peter Ben Embarek, WHO director-common Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated the group had performed a “very important scientific exercise in very difficult circumstances”.
“Some questions have been raised as to whether some hypotheses have been discarded. Having spoken with some members of the team, I wish to confirm that all hypotheses remain open and require further analysis and studies.
“Some of that work may possibly lie outdoors the remit and scope of this mission. We have often stated that this mission would not discover all the answers, but it has added vital info that requires us closer to understanding the origins of the virus.
“The mission achieved a better understanding of the early days of the pandemic, and identified areas for further analysis and research. And we will continue working to get the information we need to answer the questions that still need to be answered.”
At a press conference in Wuhan on Tuesday, Ben Embarek quashed the theory that a leak from a virology lab in Wuhan could have brought on the pandemic.
“The laboratory incident hypothesis is extremely unlikely,” he stated. It “is not in the hypotheses that we will suggest for future studies.”
Tedros stated he hoped a summary report from the mission would be published next week, with the complete final report to adhere to in the coming weeks.
()