WHO says probe into COVID-19 virus origin still ongoing

"As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak," Dr Tedros told a press conference, referring to the two main hypotheses as to how the pandemic began.

The WHO Scientific Advisory Group reported progress in understanding COVID-19's origins but noted that critical information required to fully assess all hypotheses remains unavailable.

The agency said it requested China share hundreds of genetic sequences from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, detailed information on animals sold at Wuhan markets, and details on research and biosafety conditions at Wuhan laboratories.

WHO said China has not yet shared the information.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics.

In 2021, Dr Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts.

Marietjie Venter, the group's chair, said on Friday that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals.

But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident.

"Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded," she said.

"It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science."

Venter said that the 27-member group did not reach a consensus; one member resigned earlier this week and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report.

Agencies