The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of uncovering the origins of Covid-19, stating that it is a scientific and moral duty to explore all hypotheses. The WHO has remained committed to discovering how the virus arose despite pressure from the Wall Street Journal's report on the United States agency's assessment that the pandemic may have been caused by an unintended laboratory leak in China. The Chinese government has denied these claims.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, tweeted that understanding the origins of Covid-19 is essential to preventing future outbreaks and as a moral obligation for the millions who have died and those living with Long Covid. His tweet marked three years since the WHO first described the outbreak as a pandemic.
Over the weekend, activists, politicians, and academics called for the focus of the anniversary to be on preventing a repeat of the unequal Covid-19 vaccine rollout, which they claim led to at least 1.3 million preventable deaths.
In 2021, a team led by the WHO spent weeks in and around Wuhan, China, where the first human cases of Covid-19 were reported. The team's joint report suggested that the virus was likely transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, but further research was needed. However, China has stated that further visits are unnecessary.
The WHO has established a scientific advisory group on dangerous pathogens but has yet to reach any conclusions on how the pandemic began, citing a lack of key data.