'More work' to be done': Key takeaways from the WHO report on origins of the Covid-19 pandemic
(CNN)A team of international scientists tasked with understanding how the
coronavirus pandemic began released their first report on Thursday, saying that all hypothesis remain on the table, including a possible laboratory incident.
The 27-member scientific advisory group convened by the World Health Organization said available data suggests the virus jumped from animals to humans but gaps in "key pieces of data" meant a complete understanding of the pandemic's origins could not be established.
The team, called the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), was formed last year to recommend further areas of study to better understand the pandemic's origins and as well as the emergence of future pathogens.
"Studying origins of any novel pathogen or pandemic is incredibly difficult," said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's Covid-19 technical lead for its Health Emergencies Program. "There is a lot more work that needs to be done, in China and elsewhere."
Here are key takeaways from the report.
Animal origins
Current data suggests a zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 -- which means the virus originated in animals and jumped to humans.
The most closely genetically related viruses were found to be beta coronaviruses identified in bats in China and Laos, according to SAGO.
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The seafood market
Another area the group identified for further study is the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, which investigations suggest "played an important role early in the amplification of the pandemic."
Several of the patients first detected in December 2019 had a link to the market, and environmental samples from the market tested positive for the virus, the report said.
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The lab-leak theory
SAGO's preliminary report said it "remains important to consider all reasonable scientific data" to evaluate the possibility that Covid-19 spilled into the human population through a laboratory incident.
However, the group said there "has not been any new data made available" to evaluate this theory and recommended further investigation "into this and all other possible pathways."
Essentially, because lab leaks have happened in the past and there is no new data available, the group said this theory cannot be ruled out.
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'We do not yet have the answers'
The team also had access to unpublished
blood samples from 40,000 donors in Wuhan between September and December 2019, and reported to have been tested for Covid antibodies. Their samples could contain crucial signs of the first antibodies made by humans against the disease.
According to the report, more than 200 samples initially tested positive for the antibodies but when tested again were not found to be positive. SAGO said it has requested further information on the data and methods used to analyze the samples.
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On Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros said it has been two-and-a-half years since Covid-19 was first identified but "we do not yet have the answers as to where it came from or how it entered the human population."
He urged the importance of scientific work being kept separate from politics.
"The only way this scientific work can progress successfully is with full collaboration from all countries, including China, where the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were reported," he said.
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I'm feeling awful. Sore throat, body aches, chills & fever - although surprisingly the coughing and snot aspect is not that bad at all, less than my seasonal allergies - not sure what's up with that - but I feel terrible besides that! Ugh! I have a strong feeling I caught it from the elementary school I work at as it's been making its rounds there, along with a slew of other nasty sicknesses that I luckily don't have. I was good about wearing my mask there 24/7 but it happened anyway...
