WHO leader: Discusses with Chinese PM to investigate coronavirus origin

The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday that he had discussed with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang the need for stronger co-operation on the origins of COVID-19, a controversial issue that has strained Beijing’s relations with the West, Reuters reported.

The Adanom Gebregesus Center has previously pressured China to be more willing to provide data and information on the origin of the virus.

“I am delighted to have met with Prime Minister Li Keqiang,” Tentros wrote on Twitter. “We discussed COVID-19 and the need for an aggressive effort under VaccinEquity this year to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population,” he said, referring to the WHO campaign for equitable access to vaccines around the world.

“We also discussed the need for stronger co-operation on the origin of the COVID-19 virus, which will have its roots in science and evidence,” he added.

The WHO set up the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origin of New Pathogens (SAGO) last year and called on China to provide raw data to help with any new research. China has refused, citing rules to protect patients’ personal data.

China has consistently denied allegations that the virus leaked from a specialized laboratory in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first detected in late 2019.

A joint China-WHO study published last year almost ruled out the possibility that COVID-19 came from a laboratory, saying it was most likely to infect humans naturally, possibly through wildlife trafficking.

Last November, China said a declassified US intelligence report that said the pandemic could have come from a laboratory was unscientific and had no credibility.