A World Health Organization expert said Tuesday that the coronavirus probably didn't leak from a Chinese lab, and most likely spread to humans from some other species, The Associated Press reports. WHO food safety and animal diseases expert Peter Ben Embarek made the statement in a summary of a WHO team's investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
A WHO team visited the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 cases were reported in December 2019, after months of resistance from the Chinese government. China has denied the virus could have leaked from a lab, and suggested, without evidence, that it might have originated elsewhere and reached Wuhan, possibly in imported frozen food packaging. China still won't agree to a fully independent investigation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Magazine solutions - June 27, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Magazine printables - June 27, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Army commissions tech execs as officer recruitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT Some of the tech industry's most powerful players are answering the call of Uncle Sam
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefsSpeed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boatspeed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotáspeed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strikespeed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policyspeed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as presidentspeed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential electionspeed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attackspeed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
