On the second day of #WHA, the US and other countries called for a more in-depth investigation of the origin of #COVID19, after the earlier mission of @WHO experts proved inconclusive. france24.com/en/live-news/2…
"We underscore the importance of a robust comprehensive and expert-led inquiry into the origins of Covid-19," US representative Jeremy Konyndyk told the World Health Assembly (WHA).
Australia, Japan and Portugal were among other countries to call for more progress on the investigation, while the British representative urged for any probe to be "timely, expert-driven and grounded in robust science".
But a long-delayed report by the team of international experts sent to Wuhan and their Chinese counterparts drew no firm conclusions on the origins of the pandemic.
The report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while it said a theory involving the virus leaking from a laboratory was "extremely unlikely".
After the report was released, however, WHO chief @DrTedros insisted all theories remained on the table. The investigation and report have also faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply.
US Health Secretary @SecBecerra backed the call for new terms of reference. "Phase two of the Covid origins study must be launched with terms of reference that are transparent, science-based, and give international experts the independence to fully assess ...
... the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak," he told the assembly.
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