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In December 2020, it was reported that the [[Chinese Communist Party]]'s flagship newspaper featured a study by scientists associated with the state-backed [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]] positing that the earliest human-to-human transmission occurred on the [[Indian subcontinent]] three to four months before the Wuhan outbreak. The study, which was not [[peer-reviewed]], was posted on the [[preprint]] platform [[SSRN]]. It was later withdrawn from the platform at the authors' request.<ref name="wsj._China_Floats">{{Cite web |title=China Floats Covid-19 Theories That Point to Foreign Origins, Frozen Food |last=Hua |first=Sha |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=8 December 2020 |access-date=19 January 2021 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-pushes-alternative-theories-about-origin-of-covid-19-11607445463}}</ref>
== U.S. government
In mid-January, U.S. intelligence agencies reported to U.S. officials that they had not detected any alarm within the Chinese government that would suggest the outbreak had emerged from a government laboratory.<ref name="NYT-examination"/> In April 2020, at the request of Trump administration officials, U.S. intelligence agencies began investigating whether the outbreak originated from the accidental exposure by WIV scientists studying natural coronaviruses in bats.<ref name="BBC-Rincon">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52318539 |title=Coronavirus: Is there any evidence for lab release theory? |publisher=[[BBC]] |last=Rincon |first=Paul |date=16 April 2020 |access-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416234322/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52318539 |archive-date=16 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NYT-examination">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-response.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage |work=[[New York Times]] |title=He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus |first1=Eric |last1=Lipton |first2=David E. |last2=Sanger |first3=Maggie |last3=Haberman |first4=Michael D. |last4=Shear |first5=Mark |last5=Mazzetti |first6=Julian E. |last6=Barnes |date=11 April 2020 |access-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415115021/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-response.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage |archive-date=15 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NBC-examination">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/u-s-intel-community-examining-whether-coronavirus-emerged-accidentally-chinese-n1185371 |title=U.S. intel community examining whether coronavirus emerged accidentally from a Chinese lab |publisher=[[NBC News]] |first1=Ken |last1=Dilanian |first2=Courtney |last2=Kube |date=16 April 2020 |access-date=16 April 2020 |quote=The U.S. intelligence community is examining whether the coronavirus that caused the global pandemic emerged accidentally from a Chinese research lab studying diseases in bats. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416173210/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/u-s-intel-community-examining-whether-coronavirus-emerged-accidentally-chinese-n1185371 |archive-date=16 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''New York Times'' reported that senior officials in the Trump administration were pressuring intelligence agencies to find evidence for the unsubstantiated theory that the virus leaked from the laboratory, leading to concern among some intelligence analysts that intelligence assessments would be distorted to serve a political campaign to lay blame on China for the outbreak.<ref name="NYT-30Apr2020-pressure">{{cite news |title=Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs |first1=Mark |last1=Mazzetti |first2=Julian E. |last2=Barnes |first3=Edward |last3=Wong |first4=Adam |last4=Goldman |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/us/politics/trump-administration-intelligence-coronavirus-china.html |date=30 April 2020 |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref> In late April 2020, the U.S. [[Director of National Intelligence|Office of Director of National Intelligence]] issued a statement agreeing with the scientific consensus that SARS-CoV-2 was not created in a laboratory, but stated that it would continue investigating.<ref name="Reuters-30Apr2020">{{cite news |title=Coronavirus was 'not manmade or genetically modified': U.S. spy agency |publisher=Reuters |date=30 April 2020 |access-date=20 January 2020 |first=Mark |last=Hosenball |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-intelligence-idUSKBN22C2PN}}</ref> [[US President]] [[Donald Trump|Trump]] and [[US Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Mike Pompeo]] have claimed to have evidence of the lab theory, but have offered no further details.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Maanvi |last1=Singh |first2=Helen |last2=Davidson |first3=Julian |last3=Borger |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/30/donald-trump-coronavirus-chinese-lab-claim |title=Trump claims to have evidence coronavirus started in Chinese lab but offers no details |date=May 1, 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=May 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507045320/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/30/donald-trump-coronavirus-chinese-lab-claim |archive-date=7 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Zachary |last1=Cohen |first2=Alex |last2=Marquardt |first3=Kylie |last3=Atwood |first4=Jim |last4=Acosta |title=Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/30/politics/trump-intelligence-community-china-coronavirus-origins/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=May 1, 2020 |access-date=May 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507155040/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/30/politics/trump-intelligence-community-china-coronavirus-origins/index.html |archive-date=7 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="dtdt">{{cite news |title=Donald Trump contradicts US intelligence by saying evidence links coronavirus to Wuhan lab in China |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/30/donald-trump-contradicts-us-intelligence-saying-evidence-links/ |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=1 May 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501045101/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/30/donald-trump-contradicts-us-intelligence-saying-evidence-links/ |archive-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Borger|first=Julian|date=2020-05-03|title=Mike Pompeo: 'enormous evidence' coronavirus came from Chinese lab|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/mike-pompeo-donald-trump-coronavirus-chinese-laboratory|access-date=2020-05-04|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504220049/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/mike-pompeo-donald-trump-coronavirus-chinese-laboratory|archive-date=4 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2020, [[Bundesnachrichtendienst|German foreign intelligence]] briefed the German government that the Trump administration's claims about a lab leak were possibly deliberate misinformation, and were meant to distract from the administration's handling of the pandemic in the U.S.<ref name="CNBC-German-report">{{cite news |publisher=CNBC |title=German spy agency doubts US 'China lab' coronavirus accusations, report says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/08/german-spy-agency-doubts-us-china-lab-coronavirus-accusations-report-says.html |access-date=20 January 2020 |date=8 May 2020}}</ref> German intelligence found that none of the [[Five Eyes]] intelligence agencies were willing to support Pompeo's claims of a lab leak.<ref name="CNBC-German-report"/>
== World Health Organization investigations ==
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Revision as of 09:41, 20 January 2021
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COVID-19 pandemic |
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COVID-19 portal |
Investigations into the origin of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include several ongoing missions being conducted by governments and international organisations.
Unknown origin
The origin of COVID-19 currently remains unknown. While it is agreed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, originated in bats, its exact evolutionary history, the identity and provenance of its most recent ancestors, and the place, time, and mechanism of transmission of the first human infection, remain unknown.[1][2] Two conflicting theories have gained prominence since the first cases were detected: natural accident and laboratory accident.[3] Health authorities in China and abroad have cautioned that origin tracing efforts could take years and the results could be inconclusive.[4]
International calls for investigations
In April 2020, Australian foreign minister Marise Payne called for an independent international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.[5] A few days later, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison insisted that Australia should remain committed to an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19 in spite of China's dismissal of the prospect.[6] German chancellor Angela Merkel also pressed China for transparency about the origin of the coronavirus, following similar concerns raised by the French president Emmanuel Macron.[7] Britain also expressed support for an investigation, although both France and Britain said the priority at the time was to first fight the virus.[8][9]
In May 2020, the World Health Assembly, which governs the World Health Organization (WHO), passed a motion calling for a "comprehensive, independent and impartial" investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic. A record 137 countries, including Australia and China, co-sponsored the motion, giving overwhelming international endorsement to the investigation.[10]
Chinese government investigations
The first investigation conducted in China was by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, responding to hospitals reporting cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology, resulting in the closure of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on 1 January 2020 for environmental sanitation and disinfection. Chinese national authorities informed the WHO China Country Office of these cases on 31 December 2019.[11]
In April 2020, China imposed restrictions on publishing academic research on the novel coronavirus. Investigations into the origin of the virus would receive extra scrutiny and must be approved by Central Government officials.[12] Despite the restrictions, Ian Lipkin, a U.S. scientist, said that he was working with a team of Chinese researchers under the auspices of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a Chinese government agency, to investigate the origin of the virus. Lipkin has developed long-standing relationships with Chinese officials, including premier Li Keqiang, because of his contributions to rapid testing for SARS in 2003.[13]
In December 2020, it was reported that the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper featured a study by scientists associated with the state-backed Chinese Academy of Sciences positing that the earliest human-to-human transmission occurred on the Indian subcontinent three to four months before the Wuhan outbreak. The study, which was not peer-reviewed, was posted on the preprint platform SSRN. It was later withdrawn from the platform at the authors' request.[14]
U.S. government claims
In mid-January, U.S. intelligence agencies reported to U.S. officials that they had not detected any alarm within the Chinese government that would suggest the outbreak had emerged from a government laboratory.[15] In April 2020, at the request of Trump administration officials, U.S. intelligence agencies began investigating whether the outbreak originated from the accidental exposure by WIV scientists studying natural coronaviruses in bats.[16][15][17] The New York Times reported that senior officials in the Trump administration were pressuring intelligence agencies to find evidence for the unsubstantiated theory that the virus leaked from the laboratory, leading to concern among some intelligence analysts that intelligence assessments would be distorted to serve a political campaign to lay blame on China for the outbreak.[18] In late April 2020, the U.S. Office of Director of National Intelligence issued a statement agreeing with the scientific consensus that SARS-CoV-2 was not created in a laboratory, but stated that it would continue investigating.[19] US President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have claimed to have evidence of the lab theory, but have offered no further details.[20][21][22][23] In May 2020, German foreign intelligence briefed the German government that the Trump administration's claims about a lab leak were possibly deliberate misinformation, and were meant to distract from the administration's handling of the pandemic in the U.S.[24] German intelligence found that none of the Five Eyes intelligence agencies were willing to support Pompeo's claims of a lab leak.[24]
World Health Organization investigations
In mid 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) began negotiations with the government of China on conducting an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. On 5 November 2020, the WHO published a "terms of reference" document for a "WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2" based on terms agreed in their negotiations with the government of China. The terms of reference outline a first phase of study to better understand how the virus "might have started circulating in Wuhan", and a second phase of longer-term studies based on its findings. [25]
The WHO formed a team of thirteen researchers with expertise in virology, public health and animals to conduct investigations.[26] The mission was expected to travel to China in the first week of January 2021 to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.[27] However, the Chinese government blocked the entry of the WHO team after their visas were not approved, despite the fact that China had previously agreed to allow the team's entry.[28][29][30][31] A few days later, permission was granted for the team to arrive.[32][33][34] On 14 January 2021, the WHO's investigation team arrived in Wuhan, China.[35]
U.S. officials previously denounced the investigation as a "Potemkin exercise" and criticised the "terms of reference" allowing Chinese scientists to do the first phase of preliminary research.[36][37] On 15 January, U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that to assist the WHO investigative team's work and ensure a transparent, thorough investigation of COVID-19's origin, the U.S. was sharing new information and urging the WHO to press the Chinese government to address three specific issues, including the illnesses of several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in autumn 2019, the WIV's research on "RaTG13" and "gain of function", and the WIV's links to the Chinese military.[38] On 18 January, the U.S. called on China to allow the WHO's expert team to interview "care givers, former patients and lab workers" in the city of Wuhan, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese government. Australia also called for the WHO team to have access to "relevant data, information and key locations".[35]
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission task force
On November 23, 2020, an international task force led by Dr. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, was formed as part of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission, chaired by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. Daszak stated that the task force was formed to "conduct a thorough and rigorous investigation into the origins and early spread of SARS-CoV-2". The task force has 12 members with backgrounds in One Health, outbreak investigation, virology, lab biosecurity and disease ecology. [39]
See also
- COVID-19
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
- World Health Organization's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
References
- ^ "WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2". WHO. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Relman, David A. (November 24, 2020). "Opinion: To stop the next pandemic, we need to unravel the origins of COVID-19". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117 (47): 29246–29248. doi:10.1073/pnas.2021133117. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 33144498. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Jackson (January 19, 2021). "How the hunt for COVID-19's origin became a twisted, confusing mess". CNET. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Cadell, Cate (December 11, 2020). "One year on, Wuhan market at epicentre of virus outbreak remains barricaded and empty". Reuters. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Worthington, Brett (April 19, 2020). "Payne wants transparent probe into coronavirus origins independent of WHO". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ STAYNER, TOM (21 April 2020). "Australia and China clash over independent inquiry into coronavirus pandemic". SBS News. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ Lau, Stuart; Wong, Catherine (April 21, 2020). "Germany adds to growing pressure on China over coronavirus origin". South China Morning Post. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "UK envoy in Washington backs probe into origins of pandemic, WHO reforms". Reuters. April 29, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Needham, Kirsty; Nebehay, Stephanie (April 21, 2020). "Australia seeks probe into coronavirus spread, France and UK say now not the time". Reuters. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Dziedzic, Stephen (May 20, 2020). "Australia started a fight with China by pushing for a COVID-19 inquiry — was it necessary?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "WHO | Pneumonia of unknown cause – China". WHO.
- ^ Gan, Nectar; Hu, Caitlin; Watson, Ivan (12 April 2020). "China imposes restrictions on research into origins of coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ Manson, Katrina; Yu, Sun (April 26, 2020). "US and Chinese researchers team up for hunt into Covid origins". Financial Times. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Hua, Sha (8 December 2020). "China Floats Covid-19 Theories That Point to Foreign Origins, Frozen Food". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ a b Lipton, Eric; Sanger, David E.; Haberman, Maggie; Shear, Michael D.; Mazzetti, Mark; Barnes, Julian E. (11 April 2020). "He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus". New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ Rincon, Paul (16 April 2020). "Coronavirus: Is there any evidence for lab release theory?". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ Dilanian, Ken; Kube, Courtney (16 April 2020). "U.S. intel community examining whether coronavirus emerged accidentally from a Chinese lab". NBC News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
The U.S. intelligence community is examining whether the coronavirus that caused the global pandemic emerged accidentally from a Chinese research lab studying diseases in bats.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Barnes, Julian E.; Wong, Edward; Goldman, Adam (30 April 2020). "Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs". New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Hosenball, Mark (30 April 2020). "Coronavirus was 'not manmade or genetically modified': U.S. spy agency". Reuters. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ Singh, Maanvi; Davidson, Helen; Borger, Julian (May 1, 2020). "Trump claims to have evidence coronavirus started in Chinese lab but offers no details". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Zachary; Marquardt, Alex; Atwood, Kylie; Acosta, Jim (May 1, 2020). "Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Donald Trump contradicts US intelligence by saying evidence links coronavirus to Wuhan lab in China". Telegraph Media Group Limited. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Borger, Julian (2020-05-03). "Mike Pompeo: 'enormous evidence' coronavirus came from Chinese lab". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
- ^ a b "German spy agency doubts US 'China lab' coronavirus accusations, report says". CNBC. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2". www.who.int.
- ^ Mallapaty, Smriti (December 2, 2020). "Meet the scientists investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic". Nature. 588 (7837): 208–208. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-03402-1 – via www.nature.com.
- ^ Nebehay, Stephanie; Skydsgaard, Nikolaj (December 16, 2020). "Exclusive: WHO-led team expected in China in January to probe COVID-19 origins - experts". Reuters. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ Hinshaw, Drew (6 January 2021). "WHO Criticizes China for Stymying Investigation Into Covid-19 Origins". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Regan, Helen; Sidhu, Sandi (6 January 2021). "WHO team blocked from entering China to study origins of coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ Shepherd, Christian (6 January 2021). "China blocks WHO team sent to probe Covid's origins". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "China blocks entry to WHO team studying Covid's origins". the Guardian. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "China: WHO experts arriving Thursday for virus origins probe". ABC News. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "China reports biggest daily COVID-19 case jump in over 5 months". Reuters. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ a b Nebehay, Stephanie (January 18, 2021). "U.S. and China clash at WHO over scientific mission in Wuhan". Reuters. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Tang, Didi (January 4, 2021). "Biological weapons lab leaked coronavirus, claims US official". The Times. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Nebehay, Stephanie (November 10, 2020). "U.S. denounces terms for WHO-led inquiry into COVID origins". Reuters. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ Pompeo, Michael R. (15 Jan 2021). "Ensuring a Transparent, Thorough Investigation of COVID-19's Origin - United States Department of State". United States Department of State. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Sachs, Jeffrey D.; Karim, Salim Abdool; Aknin, Lara; Allen, Joseph; Brosbøl, Kirsten; Barron, Gabriela Cuevas; Daszak, Peter; Espinosa, María Fernanda; Gaspar, Vitor; Gaviria, Alejandro; Haines, Andy; Hotez, Peter; Koundouri, Phoebe; Bascuñán, Felipe Larraín; Lee, Jong-Koo; Pate, Muhammad; Polman, Paul; Reddy, Srinath; Serageldin, Ismail; Shah, Raj; Thwaites, John; Vike-Freiberga, Vaira; Wang, Chen; Were, Miriam Khamadi; Xue, Lan; Zhu, Min; Bahadur, Chandrika; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Amor, Yanis Ben; Barredo, Lauren; Caman, Ozge Karadag; Lafortune, Guillaume; Torres, Emma; Ethridge, Ismini; Bartels, Juliana G. E. (October 10, 2020). "Lancet COVID-19 Commission Statement on the occasion of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly". The Lancet. 396 (10257): 1102–1124. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31927-9. PMID 32941825 – via www.thelancet.com.