The United States And The Other 13 Countries Question Corona Virus Investigation Report In Wuhan

JAKARTA - The United States together with 13 countries conveyed a joint statement regarding concerns and questions regarding the investigation report on the origin of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, by a team of the World Health Organization (WHO).

In addition, the statement calls for an independent and fully transparent evaluation. Meanwhile, the European Union also called for better access for researchers and further investigations.

This statement was conveyed by the Government of the United States along with Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

In a statement on Tuesday, March 30 local time, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that United States President Joe Biden believed Americans deserved better information regarding the origins of the coronavirus.

"I think he (President Joe Biden) believes in the American people, the global community, medical experts, doctors, everyone who has worked to save lives, families who have lost loved ones. Everyone deserves greater transparency", Psaki said cited from CNN.

"They deserve better information. They deserve steps taken by the global community to provide that", she added while criticizing China for its lack of transparency while asking the global community for data and answers.

Four scenarios

The WHO's 120-page report says a scenario in which the virus spreads through an intermediate animal host, possibly wild animal captured and then raised on a farm, is highly likely.

Investigations have yet to find out what other animal was infected by the bats, which are thought to be the most likely original source of the virus, and may then have passed it on to humans.

Another possible scenario is direct transmission from an animal known to carry a similar coronavirus, such as a bat or pangolin.

The other two scenarios were considered unlikely. The report said introduction through cold food products was a "possible pathway", while recognition via laboratory incidents was deemed a "highly unlikely route".

There is no evidence to support laboratory theory. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday the WHO team concluded it was the most unlikely hypothesis. Even so, he said, his party would continue to explore this possibility.

"The team also visited several laboratories in Wuhan and considered the possibility of the virus entering the human population, as a result of a laboratory incident", Tedros told member countries in an explanation of the team's report visiting Wuhan, China.

"Although the team has concluded that the laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, it requires further investigation, potentially with an additional mission involving specialist specialists, at my disposal", said Tedros.

He added that he did not believe the WHO's assessment was "extensive enough". Therefore, more data and studies are needed to reach stronger conclusions.

Cited from Reuters, China has refused to provide the WHO-led team with raw data on initial cases of COVID-19, said one of the team's investigators, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the global pandemic started.

The joint state statement supports further animal studies to discover how the virus was introduced to humans and calls for new commitments from WHO and member states to access, transparency and timeliness.