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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
WHO says probe into COVID-19 virus origin still ongoing
Bengaluru: The World Health Organization said on Friday that efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it had requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO added that China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
WHO says probe into COVID-19 virus origin still ongoing
The World Health Organisation says efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "all hypotheses must remain on the table" to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO said China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident. "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. Agencies The World Health Organisation says efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "all hypotheses must remain on the table" to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO said China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident. "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. Agencies The World Health Organisation says efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "all hypotheses must remain on the table" to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO said China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident. "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. Agencies The World Health Organisation says efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "all hypotheses must remain on the table" to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO said China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident. "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. Agencies
