WHO will continue the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus

The World Health Organization (WHO) will continue to investigate the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with a new team of scientists, which will include about 20 people, including specialists in laboratory safety, biosecurity, and genetics, as well as experts in animal diseases. The research is planned to take place in China and other countries.

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According to RBC agency, WHO announced a new phase of investigation a few months after the first group of researchers returned from Wuhan, China.

The specialists presented four hypotheses regarding the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the most likely of which is the hypothesis of transmission of the coronavirus to humans from bats through an intermediary animal. At the same time, the possibility of a virus leak from a laboratory in Wuhan was deemed “extremely unlikely” by WHO.

It is reported that the new group will assist WHO in seeking data necessary to prevent future outbreaks of infection.

As part of this mission, experts will investigate the causes of the current pandemic, including the possibility of artificial origins of the coronavirus.

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, insist on the resumption of the WHO investigation. Meanwhile, China has demanded that the organization focus its investigation of the virus’s origins on other countries, such as Italy and the U.S.

It is expected that members of the new group will be selected by the end of this week. However, it is currently unknown whether the team will receive permission to work in China.

A statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Beijing “fully cooperated” with the team that conducted the first investigation.