The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on the nations of the world to share information on the COVID-19 origins.
The body said over the past few days there has been renewed attention on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this during an online media conference where he revealed that WHO established the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO.
According to him, in its report in 2022, SAGO identified key studies that must be done in China and elsewhere to verify or eliminate the various hypotheses for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we have said before, if any country has information about the origins of the pandemic, it is essential for that information to be shared with WHO and the international scientific community.
“It is not to apportion blame, but to advance our understanding of how this pandemic started, so we can prevent, prepare for and respond to future epidemics and pandemics.
“I wish to be very clear that WHO has not abandoned any plans to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, contrary to recent media reports and comments by politicians,” Ghebreyesus said.
“WHO continues to call for China to be transparent in sharing data, and to conduct the necessary investigations and share the results.
“To that effect, I have written to, and spoken with, high-level Chinese leaders on multiple occasions, as recently as just a few weeks ago,” he said.
The WHO boss said that until then, all hypotheses on the origins of the virus remain on the table.