The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed the lives of about 20 million people worldwide, is still ongoing.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, noted at a press conference on the 28th that "all hypotheses regarding the origin of COVID-19 are still under consideration" and explained that "both the possibility of COVID-19 being transmitted from animals to humans and the possibility of it leaking from a laboratory are still being discussed."
He further stated that the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), under WHO, has made some progress in scientifically understanding the origins of COVID-19, but that it has still not reached a clear conclusion.
Ghebreyesus emphasized particularly that essential information has not been sufficiently provided. He said, "Despite repeated requests, I have still not received hundreds of viral gene sequences from early pandemic cases in China, specific data on animals involved in transactions at the Wuhan market, research conducted at the Wuhan laboratory, and information regarding biosafety regulations." The first confirmed COVID-19 cases were noted in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019.
Ghebreyesus added, "I am requesting transparent information sharing not only from China but also from other countries that hold relevant information."