WHO experts say window for discovering COVID-19 origins is ‘rapidly closing’

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) who were tasked this year with researching the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China said in an article published in the science journal Nature that the window for ascertaining the origins of the virus is quickly closing.

In their article, the group of researchers detailed what occurred on their 28-day mission to Wuhan, China, the site of the first reported cases of COVID-19. They specified that their initial study was not expected to provide a definitive answer on the origins of the virus. Rather, it was designed to be the basis of further study.

“Crucially, the window is rapidly closing on the biological feasibility of conducting the critical trace-back of people and animals inside and outside China,” they wrote. “SARS-CoV-2 antibodies wane, so collecting further samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will yield diminishing returns.”

“Therefore, we call on the scientific community and country leaders to join forces to expedite the phase 2 studies detailed here, while there is still time,” they added.

In their piece, the scientists named six specific priorities they feel should be addressed for phase two studies into the origins of COVID-19: Look for more early COVID-19 cases both in and out of China; conduct antibody studies to identify infections that were not reported early on; conduct trace-back and community surveys at wildlife farms that supplied animals to Wuhan markets; assess wild bats and other potential “reservoirs” or potential hosts of the virus in China or other countries; perform a detailed risk-factor analysis based on the antibody studies; and follow up on any new credible leads that have since come up.

The team described the discussions held between them and the Chinese teams as “lively.”

“Large amounts of information were exchanged on the basis of the work carried out. It took days of discussion to develop recommendations on essential further work and ongoing data sharing,” they said.

They also appeared to shoot back at critics of their report who claimed that they had not paid enough attention to the “lab-leak hypothesis,” which put forth that the COVID-19 virus may have originated from a lab performing gain of function research.

“We found the laboratory origin hypothesis too important to ignore, so brought it into the discussions with our Chinese counterparts,” they wrote, adding that they had spoken to three different labs in Wuhan that were handling coronavirus. However, they also noted that delving into the lab-leak theory went beyond the mandate they were given when they were sent to China.

Earlier in August, the WHO announced the next phase of its COVID-19 origin investigation, calling on all countries to “depoliticize the situation and cooperate.”

China has so far rejected plans by the WHO to further its investigation into the origins of the pandemic, with senior Chinese health official Zeng Yixin saying last month that he was “rather taken aback” that the next phase would include looking into the lab-leak origin theory.

“We hope the WHO would seriously review the considerations and suggestions made by Chinese experts and truly treat the origin tracing of the COVID-19 virus as a scientific matter, and get rid of political interference,” Zeng said.

A separate report from the U.S. intelligence community that was given to President Biden on Tuesday was reported to be inconclusive by The Washington Post. Officials close to the matter told the newspaper that the report was unable to pinpoint the exact origins of COVID-19.