China ‘shocked’ by WHO plan for second phase of COVID origins study



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A senior Chinese official on Thursday expressed dismay at the World Health Organization’s plan for the second phase of its study into the origins of COVID-19.

Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China’s National Health Commission, said the decision was not based on science and reiterated the claim that the virus was “naturally generated.” Reuters reported that China has refused to follow the plan because it is written in a way that does not respect science.

The WHO chief admitted last week that it was premature to rule out a potential link between the pandemic and a coronavirus leak from a Chinese laboratory. Zeng said the Wuhan City lab has no viruses that can directly infect humans. He said China has made repeated clarifications and does not accept the WHO plan.

The ruling Communist Party of China announced in May that it will also not participate in or support a second phase of the WHO investigation into the origins of COVID.

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Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading disease expert in the United States, told CNN on Saturday that he believed “the most likely explanation is a natural evolution from an animal reservoir to a human.” Epidemiologists around the world continue to search for early clues about the virus to better understand it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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