WHO chief call on China to share requested data to probe origins of Covid-19
Three years after its emergence in China's Wuhan, exactly how SARS-CoV-2 first emerged as a respiratory pathogen capable of sustained human-to-human transmission remains the subject of active debate.
In a bid to understand the origins of the coronavirus, World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on China to share the requested data concerning Covid-19.
While briefing the media, as quoted in a statement on the organisation's website, he said, "We continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies that we have requested, to better understand the origins of this virus."
"As I have said many times, all hypotheses remain on the table," he added.
Three years after its emergence in China's Wuhan, exactly how SARS-CoV-2 first emerged as a respiratory pathogen capable of sustained human-to-human transmission remains the subject of active debate.
As per experts, two dominant theories on the origins of the virus have been put forward. The first theory is that SARS-CoV-2 is the result of a natural zoonotic spillover and the second theory is that the virus infected humans as a consequence of a research-related incident.
According to Reuters, a WHO body meets every few months to decide whether the new coronavirus has killed over 6.6 million people, still presents a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC).
Earlier, WHO had also said that it is hopeful that the year 2023 will see the end of Covid pandemic and Mpox emergencies. The comment by WHO came as a relief for the world which is reeling from the virus since 2019 and millions of people have lost their life.
The emergency committee of the health body, which advises the director general regarding public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC), will discuss how the end of the pandemic might look, in the January meeting.
“This virus will not go away. It's here to stay and all countries will need to learn to manage it alongside other respiratory illnesses. We still face many uncertainties and challenges in 2023. Only one in five people in low-income countries have been vaccinated," Dr. Tedros added.
Tedros also spoke about Mpox outbreak which took the world by surprise. Around 110 countries in the world have reported more than 82,000 cases, but the mortality remained considerably low at 65.
He also recalled that one year ago, the Omicron variant "had just been identified and was starting to take off."
"At that time, COVID-19 was killing 50,000 people each week. Last week, less than 10,000 people lost their lives globally. That's still 10,000 too many - and there is still a lot that all countries can do to save lives - but we have come a long way," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Business NewsScienceHealthWHO chief call on China to share requested data to probe origins of Covid-19
First Published:15 Dec 2022, 07:23 AM IST
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