WHO Secretary-General Now Says "Cannot Rule Out Wuhan Leak Theory"

March Report Conclusion Virtually Reversed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 15th (local time), the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said regarding the theory that COVID-19 originated in China, "It is premature to rule out the possibility that the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan and its connection to the pandemic."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General (photo), stated this during a virtual press briefing, saying, "Earlier this year, during the on-site investigation, we had difficulty accessing raw data." This effectively reverses the conclusion of the report released by WHO in March after the Wuhan investigation earlier this year, which stated that "the hypothesis that the virus leaked from a laboratory is extremely unlikely."

Director-General Ghebreyesus pointed out problems in the COVID-19 origin investigation conducted in China, stating, "One issue is sharing raw data, and (another problem) is that there were premature conclusions that narrowed down possibilities, such as the laboratory theory, too early."

As a former laboratory technician and immunologist, he emphasized, "I also worked in a laboratory. Laboratory accidents are common," adding, "It is especially important to verify what happened in the laboratory." He further said, "When the pandemic started, direct information about the laboratory situation was needed. Only in that case can the lab leak theory be ruled out."

WHO has requested China to cooperate with transparency and openness. Director-General Ghebreyesus urged China to cooperate more in the next phase of the investigation, saying, "The world must find out what happened to the millions of people who died from COVID-19 and prevent the recurrence of the same crisis."

WHO is developing a framework to advance the second phase of the COVID-19 origin investigation. Michael Ryan, head of the WHO Emergency Response Team, said on the same day, "Director-General Ghebreyesus is scheduled to brief the 194 member countries on the second phase of the COVID-19 origin investigation," adding, "He will outline the actions tomorrow."