After more than three years of investigation, the World Health Organization (WHO) says it is still unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic began.
In its final report, the WHO-convened Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) stated that the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, remain “inconclusive”. While most scientific evidence supports the theory that the virus jumped from animals to humans, experts say a lab-based origin cannot be definitively ruled out due to a lack of access to critical data.
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At a press briefing, Dr Marietjie Venter, chair of the expert group, explained that while zoonotic transmission is still considered the most plausible route, attempts to fully investigate the lab leak hypothesis were thwarted. “Despite repeated requests for genetic sequences and biosecurity documentation, the necessary data from China was not made available,” she said. “Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded.”
The 27-member panel failed to reach consensus on the lab-origin theory, with one member resigning ahead of the report’s release and three others requesting that their names be removed from the final document.
The report mirrors earlier findings from the WHO’s 2021 investigation, which also favoured animal-to-human transmission, likely through an intermediary host such as a civet cat or raccoon dog. However, questions linger as the Chinese government has not provided sufficient data to support or debunk alternative theories.
“There is no evidence the virus was manipulated in a laboratory, nor any sign that it was circulating before December 2019 outside of China,” said Venter.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the need to resolve the mystery. “It is a moral imperative to understand how this pandemic started,” he said, citing the virus’s global toll, over 20 million deaths, trillions in economic damage, and massive social disruption.
Last year, an investigation by the Associated Press revealed that Chinese authorities had halted meaningful origin-tracing efforts early in the pandemic. Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies concluded there was insufficient evidence to confirm the lab leak theory, a position often challenged by former American President Donald Trump.
