The WHO team of international experts visited Wuhan last month, the Chinese city where COVID-19 was first detected.
The combined study of the COVID-19 origin by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Chinese scientists has concluded that the most likely way of transmission of the coronavirus has been from bats to humans and that a lab leak is extremely unlikely.
The WHO team of international experts visited Wuhan last month, the Chinese city where COVID-19 was first detected. Based on this visit and its study there the WHO team made the report.
In the draft study, researchers listed four scenarios in order of likelihood for the emergence of the coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Topping the list was a transmission from bats through another animal, which they said was most likely. The team in its report also stated that the spread through cold-chain food products as possible but not likely.
Bats are known to carry coronaviruses and, in fact, the closest relative of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in bats. However, the report says that the evolutionary distance between these bat viruses and SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be several decades, suggesting a missing link.
It said highly similar viruses have been found in pangolins, which are another kind of mammal, but also noted that mink and cats are susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, suggesting they could be carriers, too.
On the other hand, the draft report is inconclusive on whether the outbreak started at a Wuhan seafood market that had one of the earliest clusters of cases in December 2019.
The report, which is expected to be made public Tuesday, is being closely watched since discovering the origins of the virus could help scientists prevent future pandemics.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged that he had received the report over the weekend and said it would be formally presented Tuesday.
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