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Chinese lab leak unlikely, says WHO’s coronavirus taskforce

Chinese lab leak unlikely, says WHO's coronavirus taskforce
Chinese lab leak unlikely, says WHO's coronavirus taskforce

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus has said that “more intensive study is still needed to say that covid-19 is a virus emitted from a Chinese laboratory”.

Gebreyesus has said that ‘Chinese laboratory theory is the least likely to be true and without thorough study it would not be right to say anything about it.’

At the same time, some other countries including the US have criticized China for not giving enough information to the World Health Organization.

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China has so far consistently denied the allegations of leaking the virus from its laboratory.

A team of experts from the World Health Organization visited Wuhan, China from 14 January to 10 February.

The first case of corona virus infection was officially confirmed in Wuhan city of China (in December 2019).

This international team released a report on Tuesday, stating that ‘the team of experts in China could not get the necessary data’ and they have stated the need for better data sharing in future.

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According to this team of experts, it is most likely that this virus came from bats into humans.

However, the head of the World Health Organization has not denied the theory of Chinese laboratory, but he has given the need for more investigation in this regard.

China has not yet reacted to this latest statement of the World Health Organization.

The report gives four possible sources for the virus and the most likely scenario is via an intermediate animal host, possibly a wild animal captured and then raised on a farm.

But the investigation has not found what other animal was infected by a bat – considered the most likely original source of the virus – and then may have transmitted it to a human.

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“The possible intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2 remains elusive,” it reads.

Next likely is direct transmission from one of the animals known to carry a similar coronavirus, such as a bat or a pangolin.

Possible but not probable is transmission from frozen or chilled food, and least likely is an accidental laboratory release, the report finds.

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