Wuhan lab break 'unlikely'
WHO disputes COV origin theory
World Health Organization investigators said Tuesday they believe it’s “extremely unlikely” the coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab — although former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remained unconvinced.
A team of WHO investigators reached the conclusion after visiting the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated at a food market in late 2019.
“Our initial findings suggest that the introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific targeted research,” said WHO food-safety and animal-diseases expert Peter Ben Embarek in summarizing what the team learned.
“However, the findings suggest that the laboratory-incidents hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus to the human population.”
Instead, investigators suspect the virus may have made the jump to humans through bats, though likely outside Wuhan, or through the sale of frozen animal products.
“There is the potential to continue to follow this lead and further look at the supply chain and animals that were supplied to the market,” Embarek said. “We know the virus can survive in conditions that are found in these cold, frozen environments, but we don’t really understand if the virus can transmit to humans.”
The Chinese government has promoted the idea that the virus can be found in frozen food — repeatedly announcing finding traces on imported packaging — while vehemently denying the possibility that the pandemic was caused by a lab accident.
Pompeo, however, poured cold water on the WHO report, claiming to be aware of “significant evidence” that the virus could have sprung from a Chinese lab.
“I must say the reason we left the World Health Organization was because we came to believe that it was corrupted, it had been politicized. It was bending a knee to General Secretary Xi Jinping in China,” Pompeo told Fox News, referring to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the WHO.
“I hope that’s not the case here with what they’ve announced today . . . I don’t believe it’s the case that they got access that they needed,” Pompeo added.
“I continue to know that there was significant evidence that this may well have come from that laboratory.”
Upon taking office, President Biden re-enrolled the United States in the WHO.