The mystery of the origin of the coronavirus may never be solved

In a commentary published in the journal Nature, experts recruited by the WHO said research into the origins is at “a critical moment” that requires urgent collaboration but has instead stalled. They warned, among others, that Chinese authorities are still reluctant to share some raw data, citing concerns about doctor-patient confidentiality.

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Earlier this year, the WHO sent a team of experts to Wuhan, where the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in humans in December 2019, to investigate what may have triggered the pandemic to which nearly 4 have been awarded so far. . , 5 million deaths worldwide, with more than 10,000 people dying every day despite the fact that more than 5 billion doses of vaccines against the disease have been administered.

In their analysis, published in March, the WHO team concluded that the virus had likely passed from animals to humans, noting that the possibility of it escaping the lab was “extremely unlikely.”

However, WHO experts said their report was only meant to be a first step, adding: “The window of opportunity to conduct this crucial research is closing quickly: any delay will make some of the studies biologically impossible. . “

For example, they said, “Antibodies are decreasing, so collecting more samples and testing people who may have been exposed before December 2019 will produce decreasing results.”

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China said officials should “focus on other possible avenues that can help trace the origin” of Covid-19 and suggested studies be carried out in other countries.

Fu Cong, director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, regretted that the investigation into the origin of Covid-19 was at a standstill, but assured that it is not the fault of the Asian country. “China has always supported and will continue to participate in science-based origin search efforts,” he said.

He accused the United States of “promoting the theory of a laboratory leak” and of trying to blame China, noting that the coronavirus could be linked to high-level US research laboratories, leaving hear that the United States invite the WHO to review. some of its facilities.

Marion Koopmans and her colleagues recruited by the WHO listed a number of priorities for future research, such as carrying out larger studies on antibodies that could identify places where Covid-19 was spreading undetected, both in China and abroad, test wild bats and farm animals as possible carriers of the virus, and investigate any new credible clues.

Some scientists fear that the best opportunity to take samples may have been missed in the first few weeks after the discovery of the first human cases linked to the seafood market in Wuhan.

Chinese researchers collected hundreds of environmental samples immediately after the discovery of the coronavirus, but so far it is not known how many people or animals have been tested.

“Once wildlife traders switch to another type of job due to the uncertainty of whether they will be able to continue doing this, that window starts to close,” said Maciej Boni, professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University which has studied the origins of viruses. and was not part of the team recruited by WHO.

However, Boni said scientists could locate the animal origin of Covid-19 by looking for closely related viruses in species such as the Japanese raccoon, mink or ground squirrel. But he noted that it could take up to five years to conduct the kind of in-depth studies needed.

Research into the origins of Covid-19 has become a fierce source of disputes between the United States and China, after a growing number of American experts called for an investigation into the two Wuhan laboratories located near the market. Chinese seafood, something China has categorically rejected and called a “scapegoat”.

In May, Biden ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct a 90-day review of the animal-to-animal transmission hypothesis and the theory she escaped from a lab. In July, even WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was premature to dismiss the laboratory theory, adding that research accidents are common.