Latest news with #SAGO
HKFP
2 hours ago
- Health
- HKFP
WHO says all Covid-19 origin theories remain open after inconclusive study
All hypotheses on how the Covid-19 pandemic began remain open, the World Health Organization said Friday, following an inconclusive four-year investigation that was hamstrung by crucial information being withheld. The global catastrophe killed an estimated 20 million people, according to the WHO, while shredding economies, crippling health systems and turning people's lives upside-down. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID came from is key to preventing future pandemics. However, a lengthy investigation launched by the UN's health agency said that pending further data, the origin of Covid and how it first spread remains elusive. 'As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. Expert investigation An initial WHO-Chinese joint report in March 2021 concluded that the virus most likely jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal. It deemed a leak from Wuhan's virology laboratories — known for their research on coronaviruses — to be 'extremely unlikely'. However, that investigation faced harsh criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not seriously evaluating the lab-leak theory. Tedros launched another investigation, setting up the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), comprising 27 international experts, in July 2021. Their 78-page report was published on Friday. It said the weight of available evidence suggests a spillover from animals — either directly from bats, or through an intermediate host. However, it could not conclude with certainty where and when this happened, nor whether the Wuhan wet market was where the virus first spilled over into humans. That said, the market 'appears to be the location for amplification of infection in humans', leading to widespread transmission. 'Evidence for widespread infections or cases in any other countries prior to December 2019 is lacking,' it added. While spillover was the best supported theory on the evidence currently available, 'until further requests for information are met, or more scientific data becomes available, the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it entered the human population will remain inconclusive,' SAGO chair Marietjie Venter said at the press conference. Lab leak theories 'could not be investigated or excluded', she said, because much of the needed information had not been made available. The experts requested unpublished information from other countries, notably Germany and the United States, but without success, she said. Earlier this week, one SAGO member resigned and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. 'Crucial question' 'Over the past five years, we have learned a lot about Covid-19 but there is one crucial question about the pandemic that we have not yet answered: how it started,' Tedros said. 'Despite our repeated requests, China hasn't provided hundreds of viral sequences from individuals with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information on animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan,' he said. He said WHO has requested access to intelligence reports by governments around the world on the origins of Covid-19. US President Donald Trump's administration has officially embraced the lab leak theory. Moral imperative Tedros said finding out how Covid-19 started was a moral imperative for those who lost their lives in the pandemic and to prevent further outbreaks. He said the virus was continuing to evolve, take lives and leave people suffering with post-Covid conditions, or so-called long Covid. Tedros said the WHO is appealing to countries with information about the origins of Covid-19 to share information. SAGO said it would continue to evaluate any new, sound scientific evidence and update its findings accordingly.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
COVID-19 origin still ‘inconclusive' after years-long WHO study
The World Health Organization (WHO) says efforts to uncover the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic are still ongoing and incomplete, as critical information has 'not been provided'. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 'all hypotheses must remain on the table' to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. 'We continue to appeal to China and any other country that has information about the origins of COVID-19 to share that information openly, in the interests of protecting the world from future pandemics,' Tedros said. The global pandemic, which began in 2020, killed millions worldwide, with countries enforcing lockdowns in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. With the first cases detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, information from the country is seen as key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident, despite repeated requests for detailed information made to the Chinese government. 'Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded,' she said, however adding, 'It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science.' Venter also said there was no evidence to prove that COVID had been manipulated in a lab, nor was there any indication that the virus had been spreading before December 2019 anywhere outside of China. In 2021, a group of experts from the WHO first travelled to Wuhan to examine the origins of the virus with their Chinese counterparts. By March of that year, their joint report found that the most likely hypothesis was from bats to humans via an intermediate animal. They said at the time that a lab leak was 'extremely unlikely'. However, that investigation faced backlash for lacking transparency and access, and not taking the lab-leak theory seriously. After that, SAGO was launched. According to the SAGO report, 'the weight of available evidence … suggests zoonotic [a disease spread between animals to humans] spillover … either directly from bats or through an intermediate host'. 'Until more scientific data becomes available, the origins of how SARS-CoV-2 entered human populations will remain inconclusive,' Venter said. 'Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it sparked a pandemic is needed to help prevent future pandemics, save lives and livelihoods, and reduce global suffering,' she added. Tedros said it was a 'moral imperative' to determine how COVID began, noting that the virus killed at least 20 million people, wiped at least $10tn from the global economy and upended the lives of billions.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New WHO report fails to rule out COVID-19 lab leak origin as China continues to impede investigation
A World Health Organization (WHO) scientific advisory group on Friday released a report on the origins of COVID-19, concluding that available evidence suggests the deadly pandemic was caused by "zoonotic spillover," either directly from bats or through an intermediate host. The report from the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), which claims to be a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts, said that much of the information needed to fully evaluate all hypotheses has not been provided. However, still citing a believed cause, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that "all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak." Fbi Examining Covid-19 Origin 'Cover-up' Amid New Strain Emergence: Bongino As the Wall Street Journal previously reported, the WHO's Covid-19 origin findings come amid a pattern of suspicious activity. The WHO traveled to China in early 2021 with British zoologist Dr. Peter Daszak, who was disbarred last year from doing work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is accused of using American taxpayer dollars to fund gain-of-function research at the bat lab in Wuhan, China. Read On The Fox News App Once at the Wuhan lab, Daszak and others were allegedly blocked from doing any of the research necessary to investigate. Dr. Marc Siegel: Trump Is Right To Block 'Dangerous' Gain-of-function Research As noted by the White House when highlighting a report from the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2" publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. [Anthony] Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature. The WHO said it had requested that China share hundreds of genetic sequences from individuals with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information about the animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan. To date, China has not shared this information either with SAGO or the WHO. Trump Bans Federal Funding For 'Dangerous' Gain-of-function Research "I thank each of the 27 members of SAGO for dedicating their time and expertise to this very important scientific undertaking over more than three years," Ghebreyesus wrote in a statement. "… We continue to appeal to China and any other country that has information about the origins of COVID-19 to share that information openly, in the interests of protecting the world from future pandemics." SAGO published its initial findings and recommendations in a report on June 9, 2022. The most recent report updates the evaluation based on peer-reviewed papers and reviews, as well as available unpublished information and field studies, interviews and other reports, including audit findings, government reports and intelligence reports. Those part of SAGO convened in various formats 52 times, conducted briefings with researchers, academics, journalists and others, according to the WHO. Read The Full Report Here: "As the report says, this is not solely a scientific endeavor, it is a moral and ethical imperative," Marietjie Venter, chair of the group, wrote in a statement. "Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it sparked a pandemic is needed to help prevent future pandemics, save lives and livelihoods, and reduce global suffering." "The work to understand the origins of SARS-CoV-2 remains unfinished," the WHO wrote in a statement. "WHO welcomes any further evidence on the origins of COVID-19, and SAGO remains committed to reviewing any new information should it become available."Original article source: New WHO report fails to rule out COVID-19 lab leak origin as China continues to impede investigation
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Covid origins investigation inconclusive, says WHO
A long-running World Health Organization investigation into the origins of Covid-19 has been unable to conclude where the virus came from because of a refusal to share information by China and intelligence agencies. An independent panel found that the most likely scientific explanation for the emergence of Covid-19 was direct transmission from bats to humans, or via an intermediary animal sold at the Wuhan wet market where the first cases emerged in December 2019, the WHO announced on Friday. 'Most scientific data and accessible published scientific evidence currently supports this hypothesis, however [we] are not currently able to conclude when, where and how Sars Cov-2 entered the human population,' Dr Marietjie Venter, Chair The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), told a press conference. Dr Venter added that the Wuhan Huanan seafood market had played a 'significant role' in the spread of the virus, and that 60 per cent of early cases could conclusively be traced back to the site. She added that no widespread human or animal cases had been recorded anywhere else before December 2019. The pandemic killed an estimated 20 million people while shredding economies and crippling health systems, according to the WHO. Understanding its origins is seen as key to preventing future pandemics. The panel was unable to rule out the possibility that the virus emerged from a laboratory leak in Wuhan due to a lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities and other governments who had been unwilling to share intelligence reports, the health agency said. 'Much of the information needed to investigate this hypothesis has not been made available to WHO or SAGO, despite repeated requests to the government of China,' said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the WHO's Director General. 'Despite our repeated requests, China hasn't provided hundreds of viral sequences from individuals with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information on animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan,' he said. The CIA said in January that Covid-19 was 'more likely' to have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a highly secure laboratory located in the heart of the city where the first cases of Covid-19 were recorded, than to have come from animals. Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, believes there is an 80-90 per cent chance that coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Chinese lab, German media reported earlier this year. Dr Tedros said: 'WHO is also aware of intelligence reports performed by other governments around the world on the origins of Covid-19, we have also requested access to those reports [....] and have not had access to [them] or their underlying data.' As well as the lab leak and zoonotic spillover explanations, the committee also investigated two other hypotheses. One, which was promoted by Beijing in the early days of the pandemic, is the claim that Covid-19 was transmitted via frozen food products imported into China. Dr Venter said that 'more data is required to prove this hypothesis'. A fourth theory – popular on social media – is that the pandemic was the result of a deliberate laboratory manipulation of the virus. 'SAGO analysed the genomic structure of the virus and did not find scientific evidence supporting this hypothesis. There's also evidence that these mutations and recombinations occur in nature,' Dr Venter said. The WHO's efforts to uncover the origins of Covid have long been shrouded in doubt, largely because of China's refusal to share information with investigators. After four years of investigation, 'all hypotheses remain on the table,' said Dr Tedros. He added that the WHO continued to appeal to Beijing and other countries with information about the origins of Covid-19 to share the information openly, in the interests of protecting the world from future pandemics. The full SAGO report was published on Friday. Its authors concluded that 'although evidence exists that has improved our understanding of the early and subsequent evolution of the virus in humans and animals, significant data gaps remain which preclude SAGO from concluding with certainty how SARS-CoV-2 initially entered the human population'. The panel urged China and the global scientific community to 'prioritise further work on understanding the origins of Covid-19 and for all countries to comprehensively study future emergences of unknown pathogens'. The full SAGO report was being published on Friday. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
WHO says probe into COVID-19 virus origin still ongoing
The World Health Organisation says efforts to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, are still ongoing and incomplete. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "all hypotheses must remain on the table" to determine the cause of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, after an expert group investigating its origins reached an unsatisfying conclusion in its final report released on Friday. "As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable. The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories. WHO said China has not yet shared the information. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics. In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts. Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals. But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident. "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report. Agencies
