The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHO report: Virus origin likely animals
Fauci, others want a clear idea of what data was made available.
A joint World Health Organization-china study on the origins of COVID-19 says transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is a likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press.
The findings offer little new insight into how the virus emerged and leave many questions unanswered. But the report provide smore detail on the reasoning behind the researchers’ conclusions.
The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis — a speculative theory that was promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump among others. It also said the role played by a seafood market where human cases were first identified was uncertain.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, said he would like to see the report’s raw information before deciding about its credibility.
“I also would like to inquire as to the extent in which the people who were on that group had access directly to the data that they would need to make a determination,” he said. “I want to read the report first and then get a feel for what they really had access to — or did not have access to.”
The report, which is expected to be made public today, is being closely watched, as discovering the origins of the virus couldhelp scientists prevent future pandemics — but it’s also extremely sensitive since China bristles at any suggestion that it is to blame for the current one.
Matthew Kavanagh of Georgetown University said the report deepened the understanding of
Officials in the United States and elsewhere have expressed concern about China’s efforts to reshape the narrative about the outbreak in Wuhan, which the authorities initially tried to conceal.
Critics have assailed the inquiry by the WHO team as insufficient, saying the global health agency has been too deferential to Beijing. Chinese scientists, many of whom are affiliated with the government, helped oversee the inquiry, and the report was repeatedly delayed amid delicate negotiations with Chinese officials.
the virus’s origins, but more information was needed.
“It is clear that the Chinese government has not provided all the data needed and, until they do, firmer conclusions will be difficult,” he said in a statement.
Last year, an AP investigation found the Chinese government was strictly controlling all research into its origins. Repeated delays in the report’s release have raised questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew its conclusions.