It is “extremely unlikely” that the origin of the coronavirus pandemic was the escape of the Sars-Cov 2 virus from a Wuhan laboratory. There transmission of Covid-19 to humans by an intermediate animal is instead a hypothesis considered “from probable to very probable”. These are the conclusions of the joint study carried out by experts from the World Health Organization who went on a mission to Wuhan and by Chinese scientists on theorigin of the coronavirus. According to the final version of the report, anticipated by various international media, the hypothesis of the laboratory accident is considered “extremely unlikely”.
The WHO expert report, which according to various critics did not have sufficient freedom of action in their mission to China, confirms the first conclusions presented on 8 February.
In the document, the theory of the natural transmission of the virus from a reservoir animal, probably the bat, to man, through another animal that has not yet been identified. In the report, however, direct transmission of the virus through the reservoir animal is considered “possible to probable”. Furthermore, experts have not ruled out the hypothesis of transmission through frozen meat – the theory favored by the Beijing authorities – considering this scenario “possible”.