Chinese officials says there isn’t evidence for the theory that the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan
Chinese officials says there isn’t evidence for the theory that the coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in WuhanWhite House press secretary Jen Psaki at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, the US. Picture: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST
The WHO’s proposed phase-two investigation of the virus’s origins “is about saving lives in the future”, she said. “It’s not a time to be stonewalling.” The Wuhan laboratory at the centre of the controversy “never had the virus”, said Liang Wannian, an epidemiologist who headed the team of Chinese experts working with the WHO. “There’s no need for us to put more resources into a lab leak probe.”
“The plan on the second phase of the origin study contains language that does not respect science or common sense,” said Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission. “We won’t follow such a plan.”The hunt for the virus’s origin has been shrouded in controversy, with officials in Beijing and Washington pushing alternative theories about how the pathogen emerged.
“If the origin tracing studies are to be continued, I think the part-one outcomes indicate that bats should be made a priority globally,” Liang said.
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