China holds key to understanding origin of COVID-19, - WHO chief Ghebreyesus
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
"Without full access to the information that China has, we cannot accurately determine the origin of COVID-19," Ghebreyesus said in response to a question about the origin of the virus.
According to him, all available hypotheses are on the table. This is WHO's position, and that is why the organization is asking China to cooperate in this matter.
"If they do, we will know what happened and how it started," he added.
The virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. According to international researchers, data on the early days of the COVID pandemic provide information about its origin, in particular, they suggest the role of raccoon dogs in the spread of the coronavirus among people.
The WHO's Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead on COVID-19, said the latest Chinese information provided some "clues" about the origin, but no answers. She said the WHO is now working with scientists to learn more about the earliest cases of the disease in 2019, such as the location of those infected.
The WHO also requested from the United States the raw data underlying a recent US Department of Energy study suggesting that a leak from a laboratory in China likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
