Investigating the origins of Covid-19. has the WTO refused?

Will we ever know where the Covid-19 pandemic that paralyzed the world for months, officially killing 7 million people, really started? Hope is waning, says an article published on February 14 Nature. The scientific journal claims that the World Health Organization (WHO) “ quietly closed the second phase of its long-awaited scientific investigation into the origins of the epidemic, citing difficulties in conducting important studies in China. ». A claim that the UN agency completely denies.

Let’s go back “ Stage 1: » of this investigation. In January 2021, after an embarrassing mess with the visa story, a team of international researchers commissioned by the WHO was able to be escorted to Wuhan, where Sars-CoV-2 was first officially identified. 2019: They entered the market, then considered the epicenter of the epidemic, the hospital where the first patients were seen arriving, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a high-security laboratory that works on the coronavirus. However, the scientists were unable to conduct their own research on site and did not have access to the laboratory’s database. Two months later, and despite the apparent lack of evidence, their report almost disproved the lab leak thesis. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had to put it back on the table.

Three years later, no international team has set foot in Wuhan, and the mystery remains. “ Different versions remain valid. zoonotic origin from viruses circulating in bats (with or without passing through intermediate hosts) ; infection in the cave, related or not to the research expedition ; or infection with a virus stored or even genetically engineered in a Wuhan laboratory », summarizes biologist Virginia Courtier-Orgogozo of the Jacques Monod Institute. None of these pathways can be definitively ruled out.

The WTO holds member countries accountable

Returning from China in 2021, a team of international experts laid the foundation for a “ stage 2: » the aim is to continue researching the first cases of Covid in China and elsewhere, particularly by taking samples from nearby bats or livestock farms that supplied the Wuhan market. But “ there is no second round »is reported Nature Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO epidemiologist.

” We didn’t put our projects in the bottom of a drawer »

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO epidemiologist

Is related Le FigaroThe UN agency, however, assures that this article is so “ inaccurate and misleading » The misunderstanding stems from the use of the term “stage 2”, which was then used by an independent expert team, but which the WHO claims it never approved… “ Which doesn’t mean we gave up ! » “ We always said We have had and still need studies to develop knowledge, and for that we need China to give us access to the data and conduct those studies transparently. we explain within the agency. Without it, we cannot advance knowledge, however called upon “stage 2:», “additional studies» Or other. » “ We didn’t put our projects in the bottom of a drawer »For her part, Maria Van Kerkhove announced at a press conference on Wednesday that “the more time passes, the more difficult it will be to understand what happened.”.

Following the publication of the experts’ report in 2021, the WHO established a new advisory group called Sago, which is responsible for both the origin of Covid and the prevention of future epidemics. A complicated, multi-tasking mission that risks overshadowing the original investigation? Some members of the team sent to China, however, were worried about the delays caused by the creation of this new group. The WHO denies this. famous “ stage 2 is Sago », says Maria Van Kerkhove. This panel of senior experts “ reviews any new evidence that may come to light to request entry from China, and the data »we are still assuring the WHO.

But they have no mandate to go there. “ It is the responsibility of states to conduct investigations within their own territory »not at the WHO, recalled Michael Ryan, chief of health emergency management. “ If we were to make progress in this area, Member States would have to hand over powers to the WHO and entrust it with powers that would allow it to carry out investigative missions with complete independence. Not so today »sums up Antoine Flao, epidemiologist and director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Geneva.

On Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that he had recently sent an official letter to a senior Chinese official, once again asking for Beijing’s cooperation. The head of WHO reminded us. The investigation of the origin is very important to prevent future epidemics, but ” it is also a moral duty It is important to know why we lost our loved ones ».