Researchers test suspected laboratory leaks as the cause of Covid-19
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) is reportedly considering continuing to investigate the origins of the SARS-Cov-2 virus that causes Covid-19. China is known to have rejected the proposal.
The Wall Street Journal, in its report revealed, WHO has formed a team of 20 scientists. They are named “Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens”.
In the team are laboratory safety and biosecurity specialists as well as geneticists. They will test allegations of possible laboratory leaks as the cause of the emergence of Covid-19-causing SARS-Cov-2.
On August 12, WHO urged China to share raw data on early cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan. This is needed to revive the investigation into the origin of the virus that causes the disease.
China later stated that a joint preliminary investigation into the origins of Covid-19 was carried out WHO and experts from his country is enough. Beijing says calls for further data submission are politically motivated rather than scientific. “We oppose political tracing and ignore the joint report issued after the visit of a WHO expert team to Wuhan in January. We support scientific tracing,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaouxu.
He stressed that the conclusions and recommendations of the WHO-China joint report were recognized by the international community as well as the scientific community. “Future global search work should and can only be done further on the basis of this report, rather than starting afresh,” Ma said.
In March, WHO released the results of an investigation into the origins of Covid-19 carried out with experts from China. They explained that the most likely scenario related to the chain of spread is that the virus is carried by bats, then transmitted to humans via other animals. The team proposes further research in every area, except the laboratory leak hypothesis.
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