Origin of Covid-19: transmission to humans by animals deemed "likely to very likely"
WHO experts after visiting the exhibition on the Chinese response to Covid-19, in Wuhan.
AFP - HECTOR RETAMAL
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
After spending four weeks in China, WHO experts delivered their report on Monday, March 29, on their investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
The hypothesis of transmission to humans by a “
reservoir
”
animal
is favored.
Publicity
Read more
The conclusions of this study were eagerly awaited.
After spending
four weeks in China to investigate the origins of Covid-19
, WHO and Chinese experts concluded in their report that transmission of the Covid-19 virus to humans by an intermediate animal is a hypothesis “
Likely to very likely
”.
According to the final version of the report, the specialists judged that “
given the literature on the role of farm animals as intermediate hosts for emerging diseases, there is a need for further investigations including greater geographic extent
”in
China
and elsewhere.
"
Extremely unlikely
"
laboratory
leak
Regarding the hypothesis of the leak of a laboratory, the experts consider that "
extremely improbable
".
This hypothesis was notably conveyed by the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
She had accused the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which conducts research on very dangerous pathogens, of having let the coronavirus escape, voluntarily or not.
Finally, the specialists who went to China favor the hypothesis of the natural transmission of the virus from a reservoir animal - probably the bat - to humans, through another animal, still not. identified to date.
According to some,
the WHO experts did not have enough freedom
to work freely during their stay in China.
In particular, the mission had difficulty getting set up
because of China's reluctance
to allow specialists to come to its territory.
(With
AFP)
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Coronavirus
Health and medicine
WHO
On the same subject
Covid-19: WHO is reassuring about the AstraZeneca vaccine
Anti-Covid vaccine: after stopping exports from India, delays for Covax
News calls
Your current questions