The WHO assembled a group of international experts on Wednesday to warn that the window for identifying the source of COVID-19 was rapidly closing.
Experts Investigating The Origin Of The Coronavirus Say The Window For Finding Answers Is Closing; China Is Still Reluctant To Provide Data
They wrote in a commentary that the window of opportunity for conducting this critical inquiry is closing quickly and that any delay will make some of the studies biologically impossible. They also stated that understanding the sources of the ongoing devastating pandemic is a global priority that should be based on scientific principles and evidence.
According to the investigation team, advancement on the inquiry has come to a halt. It said, among other things, that the Chinese team has been and continues to be hesitant to share raw data with the rest of the team.
As the scientists put it, “we are at a crucial crossroads in our quest for the source of SARS-CoV-2 infection.” But they did point out that both the WHO international team and the Chinese team had shown a readiness to go ahead.
A news conference held by the World Health Agency on Wednesday revealed that the organization has also been pressing for further research and data on the genesis of the COVID-19 virus. The Washington Post stated that a United States intelligence study on the virus’s origin, which was requested by the Biden administration, came up with no definitive findings.
World Health Organization (WHO) officials have previously said that their team of specialists was not provided access to all of the material they requested about their travel to Wuhan in China to investigate the virus’s origins.
In a study released in March, the researchers identified 4 possible routes for the virus’s introduction into humans: direct transmission from an animal source, transmission from one infected in-between animal host, spread through the trade of frozen foods, and introduction as a result of an accident in the laboratory. It is “probable to very likely” that the intermediate host hypothesis is correct, whereas the lab theory is an “extremely unlikely” route, according to the research.