WHO:ORIGINS OF COVID-19 STILL UNKNOWN, FIVE YEARS LATER

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the origins of Covid-19 remain unknown, five years since the virus first emerged in Wuhan, China, triggering a global pandemic that claimed millions of lives.
In a statement released on Monday, the organization acknowledged that despite ongoing efforts by scientists and health agencies worldwide, conclusive evidence on how the SARS-CoV-2 virus first infected humans is still lacking.
“Understanding the origins of Covid-19 is a scientific imperative, to prevent future outbreaks and pandemics,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We owe it to the millions who lost their lives and to everyone affected around the world.”
The WHO has urged countries to strengthen global cooperation, promote transparency, and support continued investigations, including access to all relevant data.
A 2021 joint WHO-China investigation pointed to a likely animal-to-human spillover, but the findings have been widely criticized due to limited access to raw data and key sites. Other theories, including the possibility of a laboratory-related incident, have not been ruled out.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, emphasized that progress has been slow. “There is no single piece of evidence that answers the question,” she said. “This is about science, not politics.”
As the world marks five years since the first known Covid-19 cases, WHO is calling for renewed urgency in tracing the virus’s origins, warning that without answers, the world remains vulnerable to future pandemics.