Coronavirus probably spread from animals to humans: WHO report

A lab leak is "extremely unlikely," according to a draft copy obtained by an international news agency.

The findings were largely as expected and left many questions unanswered. The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak theory.

The WHO (World Health Organization) report's release has been repeatedly delayed, raising questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to twist the conclusions to prevent blame for the coronavirus pandemic.

The researchers listed four scenarios in order of likelihood for the emergence of the virus named SARS-CoV-2. Topping the list was transmission through a second animal, which they said was likely to very likely. They evaluated direct spread from bats to humans as likely and said that spread through “cold-chain” food products as possible but not likely.

The closest relative of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in bats, which are known to carry coronaviruses. However, the report says that “the evolutionary distance between these bat viruses and SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be several decades, suggesting a missing link.”

It said highly similar viruses have been found in pangolins, but also noted that mink and cats are susceptible to the COVID virus, which suggests they could be carriers.

The report is based largely on a visit by a WHO team of international experts to Wuhan, the Chinese city where COVID-19 was first detected, from mid-January to mid-February.

Peter Ben Embarek, the WHO expert who led the Wuhan mission, said Friday that the report had been finalized and was being fact-checked and translated.

“I expect that in the next few days, that whole process will be completed and we will be able to release it publicly,” he said.

The draft report ia also silent on whether the outbreak started at a Wuhan seafood market that had one of the earliest clusters of cases in December 2019.