WHO creates a new group for studying the origins and spread of coronavirus
Click to enlarge the image. Caption: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The World Health Organization announced the creation of a scientific advisory committee that will help identify the source of COVID-19, and better prepare for other deadly pathogen outbreaks.
WHO's Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins on Novel Pathogens (or SAGO) will be comprised of scientists from the U.S. and China, as well as about two dozen other countries. The group will answer the mystery of how the novel coronavirus infected humans, a question that has eluded experts for more than 18 months. It will also establish a framework for future pandemics.
Maria Van Kerkhove is the WHO's head of emerging diseases unit. She called the creation of the new group "a real chance right now to get rid all the noise and all the politics surrounding it and focus on the things we know and what we don’t know."
The WHO stated in a statement that the team will be chosen from over 700 applications from experts in epidemiology and animal health.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated that "the emergence of viruses with the potential of sparking epidemics or pandemics" is a fact of life. Understanding where new pathogens originate is crucial for preventing future pandemics and epidemics. This requires broad expertise.
China continues to resist investigation by Beijing
China continues to resist attempts to investigate the origin of the virus in China, hence the establishment of the group. Beijing rejected the WHO's initial investigation in July. This probe would have explored various hypotheses regarding the origin of virus.
WHO initially dismissed the "lab-leak theory", but it has gained momentum in recent months due to Beijing's secrecy. Many scientists believe that a lab leak is less likely than the possibility that the coronavirus was natural.
Beijing did not react immediately to the announcement of the task force.
The WHO director wants to see Wuhan's labs.
Tedros requested that Wuhan laboratories be audited, even though the WHO initially found no evidence. Some scientists believe this is the source of the virus responsible for the first infection in China.
Some of the SAGO members proposed were part of the original WHO 10-person team that investigated possible origins in China. This included Yungui Yang, a Chinese scientist at the Beijing Institute of Genomics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Tedros co-authored an editorial that was published in Science Wednesday. It stated that SAGO would "quickly evaluate the status of SARS–CoV-2 origin studies, advise WHO on the known gaps and next steps."
It stated that "all" hypotheses must be continued to be investigated, including "studies of wildlife being sold in Wuhan, China (where COVID-19 cases were first reported in December 2019); studies on SARS-like coronaviruses found in bats in China and Southeast Asia; and studies on preandemic biological sampling in the world.
It said that laboratory hypotheses should be carefully examined, with a particular focus on the Wuhan labs where first reports of human infection emerged.
