China is being urged by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) to share information on the origins of COVID-19. The call comes more than three years after the virus was first identified, with the virus causing almost seven million deaths worldwide. According to the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, it is impossible to make conclusive statements without obtaining full access to the information held by China. Without full access to the information that China has, you cannot say this or that," said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He stated that all hypotheses are still being considered and that China needs to cooperate to resolve this issue. Ghebreyesus also added that with China's cooperation, it will be possible to determine the origin and cause of the virus. Data from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic was briefly uploaded by Chinese scientists to an international database last month. The data showed that genetic sequences from multiple animal species, including raccoon dogs, were present in environmental samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This suggests they were "the most likely conduits" of the disease, according to a team of international researchers. However, in a non-peer reviewed study published by the Nature journal this week, scientists with China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention have disputed the international team's findings. They said the samples provided no proof that the animals were actually infected. The WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove said the latest Chinese information offered some "clues" on origins but no answers. She added that the WHO was working with scientists to find out more about the earliest cases from 2019, such as the whereabouts of those infected. She also noted that the WHO did not know if some of the required research had been undertaken in China. The WHO has asked the United States for original data that underpinned a recent study by the U.S. Energy Department, suggesting a laboratory leak in China had likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
