WHO-China Joint Report on the Origin of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus: All Hypotheses Remain Open

Report of the World Health Organization Fact-Finding Mission Calls for Further Studies

The World Health Organisation visit to Wuhan calls for “further studies and reiterates that all hypotheses remain open”.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Geneva, 31 March 2021 — The World Health Organisation fact-finding mission to China to determine the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus presented its first report.

The international team of medical researchers from public health institutes from around the globe and experts from the WHO went to Wuhan in January 2021, after several months of negotiations between China and WHO country-members on the format and scope of this mission.

In the Summer of 2020 WHO, the Chinese government, and UN country-members agreed that a series of studies would be necessary. This report is the first.

The team counted with the cooperation of the Chinese government, although when asked the experts said that they felt under a lot of pressure and felt that government officials on the ground also were under pressure, understandably, as everyo…