Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization said that until China shares information about the origins of COVID-19, all hypotheses remain on the table. He added that the most important thing is to ensure all countries have access to timely, reliable data and information on the virus, so they can better plan their response. He stressed that “we need full transparency from China” in order for the world to get answers about COVID-19’s emergence.
The WHO has already sent a team of international experts to Wuhan, where it suspects the first cases of contagion began. The mission will focus on identifying animal sources of infection and determining how it initially spread between humans. Dr Adhanom also noted that there are still many questions surrounding asymptomatic transmission as well as reinfections among recovered patients; these must be answered before any solid conclusions can be drawn.
The COVID virus is suspected of spreading to many locations around the world and killing nearly 7 million people. Chinese scientists briefly uploaded genetic sequences from environmental and animal samples to an international database in January 2020, which helped to identify the virus. The virus has caused a global pandemic, impacting many industries and countries. Governments have implemented numerous measures to slow the spread of the disease, including mandatory lockdowns, social distancing requirements for people and businesses, travel restrictions and closures of schools and universities.
As a result of these and other efforts made across the world to curb the transmission of COVID-19, there is hope that this deadly virus can be contained before it claims more lives. At present, scientists are researching ways to control or prevent future outbreaks through vaccine development as well as treatments for those already infected with coronavirus.
Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been approved in several countries around the world, while clinical trials are ongoing on different drugs or therapies that could potentially reduce mortality rates from COVID-19 illness. Additionally, researchers continue to investigate how various environment factors may influence pandemics such as SARS-CoV-2 in order to provide better public health recommendations in the future.
The international team of researchers found DNA from multiple animal species in environmental samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that the animals were “the most likely conduits” of the disease. However, a non-peer reviewed study published by the Nature journal this week disputed the international team’s findings, saying the samples provided no proof the animals were actually infected with COVID.
The WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove said that they have received some clues about the origins of COVID-19, but they still don’t know how or why the pandemic started. The WHO is working with scientists to figure out more information about the earliest cases of the pandemic from 2019. They are also asking for data from the United States that was used in a recent study by the U.S. Energy Department.
The WHO is also urging countries to share any information they have that could help explain the origin of COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said that understanding the origins of this virus will be critical in helping to develop better treatments and vaccines for future pandemics. She added that “We need collaboration, sharing data, sharing samples, so we can really get to the bottom of what’s happening here and how it started.”