Viral origins, the stitchup

Entire Wuhan Institute virus database taken offline on 12 September 2019

On 12 September 2019 the Wuhan Institute of Virology,

took its entire virus database offline

The renewed publication of this virus database would be an important step towards clarifying the origin of the current ‘corona pandemic’.

WHO abandons plans for crucial second phase of COVID-origins investigation

Maria Van Kerkhove, epidemiologist, WHO in Geneva, Switzerland

There is no phase two

Plan for phased studies, that plan has changed

The politics across the world of this really hampered progress on understanding the origins

The World Health Organization (WHO),

has quietly shelved the second phase,

scientific investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan

But without access to China, there is little that the WHO can do to advance the studies

Their hands are really tied

January 2021

Phase one report, March 2021

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 has not been detected through sampling and testing of bats or of wildlife across China.

More than 80 000 wildlife, livestock and poultry samples were collected from 31 provinces in China,

no positive result was identified for SARS-CoV-2 antibody or nucleic acid before and after the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in China.

The possible 4

direct zoonotic spillover is considered to be a possible-to-likely pathway

introduction through an intermediate host is considered to be a likely to very likely pathway

introduction through cold/ food chain products is considered a possible pathway

introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway

For each of these possible pathways of emergence, the joint team conducted a qualitative risk assessment

The team …. prioritized further studies that would potentially increase knowledge and understanding globally.

Further analysis, will examine

Spatial and temporal correlations and correct for underlying biases in sampling

Assessing wild-animal markets in and around Wuhan

Analysis of trade and history of trade in animals and products in other markets,

particularly in markets epidemiologically linked to early human cases or sequence data

Surveys of susceptible animals in farms in South-East Asia (for viruses related to SARS-CoV-2)

Widespread livestock testing

Widespread testing wildlife samples for SARS-CoV-2 related viral sequence and antibodies

Audits of labs in the area

Convene a global expert group to support future joint traceability research on the origin of epidemics.

Present day

Zhao Lijian, China’s foreign ministry

the second phase should not focus on pathways the mission report had already deemed extremely unlikely

Researchers are undertaking some work

Efforts to trap bats in regions bordering China

Testing of archived wastewater and blood samples

Gerald Keusch, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory Institute, Boston University

The origins investigation was poorly handled by the global community.

It was poorly handled by China.

It was poorly handled by the WHO

The WHO should have been relentless in creating a positive working relationship with the Chinese authorities,

if it was being stonewalled, it should have been honest about that.

Thea Fischer, a public-health virologist at the University of Copenhagen

(initial team member)

I still hope that progress will be made