The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday warned against “political manipulation” of the WHO’s renewed probe into the origins of SARS-CoV-2.
The WHO on Wednesday said its newly formed advisory group on dangerous pathogens might be “our last chance” to determine the origins of COVID-19, while urging China to provide data from early cases.
It released a proposed list of 26 experts to advise it on the next steps in the search for the virus’ origins after its earlier efforts were attacked for going too easy on China, where the first cases were detected in late 2019.
Photo: AP
A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around Wuhan earlier this year with Chinese scientists, and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, but further research was needed.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the investigation was hampered by a dearth of raw data pertaining to the first days of the outbreak and has called for lab audits.
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said China would “continue to support and participate in global scientific tracing and firmly oppose any forms of political manipulation.”
“We hope that all parties concerned, including the WHO secretariat and the advisory group, will effectively uphold an objective and responsible scientific attitude,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.
The first human cases of COVID-19 were reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. China has repeatedly dismissed theories that the virus leaked from one of its laboratories and has said no more visits are needed.
The proposed members of the WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens include Marion Koopmans, Thea Fischer, Hung Nguyen and Chinese animal health expert Yang Yungui (楊運桂), who took part in the joint investigation in Wuhan.
WHO Health Emergencies Program executive director Mike Ryan said the new panel might be the last chance to establish the origin of SARS-CoV-2, “a virus that has stopped our whole world.”
The WHO was seeking to “take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues,” he said. “This is our best chance, and it may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus.”
Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said she hopes that there would be further WHO-led international missions to China which would engage the country’s cooperation.
“More than three dozen recommended studies” must still to be carried out to determine how the virus crossed from the animal species to humans, she said.
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