‘WHO must probe source of virus’

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) must be allowed to fully investigate the origins of the Covid pandemic, the UK’s vaccines minister has said.

Nadhim Zahawi’s comments come after the Sunday Times reported that British agents now believe it is “feasible” that the crisis began with a coronavirus leak from a Chinese research laboratory in Wuhan.

The newspaper reported that the development, which Beijing has angrily denied, has prompted US diplomatic sources to share their concerns that “we are one wet market or bio lab away from the next spillover”.

China has previously faced claims that the Wuhan Institute of Virology could be the suspected source of the Covid-19 virus.

Mr Zahawi told Sky News: “I think it’s really important that the WHO is allowed to conduct its investigation unencumbered into the origins of this pandemic and that we should leave no stone unturned to understand why, not only because of the current pandemic that has swept the world, but also for future-proofing the world’s capability to deal with pandemics.”

Mr Zahawi was asked if he could trust the WHO after a team of experts from WHO and China said in February that the virus was “extremely unlikely” to have entered the human population as a result of a laboratory-related incident.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, said he did not believe the initial report was “extensive enough” and called for more research, adding that all hypotheses into the origins of the virus “remain on the table”.