Countries call for action on second phase of COVID-19 origin study

During the 74th World Health Assembly on Tuesday, several countries called for the World Health Organization to take quick and independent action for the next steps of its study into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of March, WHO released inconclusive findings on the origins of the pandemic. These included that a laboratory leak of the coronavirus was “extremely unlikely,” whereas it was “very likely” the virus existed in a bat and was then passed through an intermediary host animal before being transmitted to humans.

Following the study’s publication, researchers said they have scientific leads to pursue in its next phases.

“We welcome progress made regarding phase one of the WHO-convened studies of the origins of the virus and call for timely progress regarding the phase two, as well as a clear timeline for next steps and responsibilities,” said Björn Kümmel, deputy head of the global health division at Germany's Federal Health Ministry.

Jeremy Konyndyk, senior adviser of COVID-19 efforts at the U.S. Agency for International Development, echoed this, calling for “an expert-led, science-based, and independent analysis of origins” and for new terms of reference in the second phase of the study that reflect “the priorities of all member states.”

A representative from Japan called on the WHO Secretariat to be clear with countries about when and how the next phase of the research will be carried out.

The study, conducted by 17 international scientists and 17 Chinese scientists, examined questions such as whether the coronavirus originated in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. It also investigated the types of animal hosts that could have carried the virus, whether the virus entered Wuhan within frozen food, a theory that the virus came from a Wuhan Institute of Virology laboratory, and whether the virus existed in humans before December 2019.

But the study was short and marred by delays because China would not allow the researchers into the country for months.

Following the publication of study findings, 14 countries issued a statement raising concerns over its independence, arguing it was “significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples.” Researchers maintained that their work was independent and that their teams had access to large amounts of data but suggested that any study of this nature might face barriers due to privacy laws and other restrictions.

At the World Health Assembly, a representative from China called for researchers to now take a global scope in studying the origins of the virus.

“China’s part has been completed. China supports the scientists to conduct a global origin tracing cooperation. We call on all parties to adopt an open and transparent attitude to cooperate with the WHO in origin tracing,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks.

“The purpose of the inquiry is not to assign blame but to be grounded in science to find the origin of the virus and the outbreak and to help us all prevent future global catastrophes,” USAID’s Konyndyk said.