WHO Stands By China: Coronavirus Originated In Animals In China And Not Manipulated Or Produced In Laboratory
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that all available evidence suggests the coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory.
US President Donald Trump said last week that his government was trying to determine whether the virus emanated from a lab in Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged in December.
“All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed in a lab or somewhere else,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva news briefing. “It is probable, likely, that the virus is of animal origin.”
It was not clear, Chaib added, how the virus had jumped the species barrier to humans but there had “certainly” been an intermediate animal host. “It most likely has its ecological reservoir in bats but how the virus came from bats to humans is still to be seen and discovered.”
She did not respond to a request to elaborate on whether it was possible the virus may have inadvertently escaped from a lab. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has dismissed rumours both that it synthesised the virus or allowed it to escape.
Also on Tuesday, as global cases crossed 2.5 million, the WHO warned that lifting of lockdowns must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections. Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said, “At least until a vaccine, or a very effective treatment, is found, this process will need to become our new normal.”
In Myanmar, a car used by the WHO to transport swab samples to be tested for the virus was attacked, killing the driver and wounding a passenger.
In Germany, Bavaria cancelled the Oktoberfest for the first time since WWII. The event takes place from September to October.
Spain unveiled a series of measures aimed at helping prostitutes and victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation survive the country’s lockdown.
In the UK, as PM Boris Johnson said he would speak with US President Donald Trump and hold an audience with the queen this week, scientists at the University of Cambridge found a link between living in an area of England with high levels of air pollution and the severity of Covid-19. Researchers at the university’s MRC Toxicology Unit analysed data on Covid-19 cases and deaths against the levels of three major air pollutants, collected between the years 2018 and 2019.
Meanwhile, watchdog Reporters Without Borders claimed China has “extensively” censored information on the outbreak, saying the impact of it has been experienced globally.