The World Health Organisation, on Sunday, reiterated its commitment to dig out the origin of the COVID-19 virus that killed millions of people across the world in the past three years.
Marking three years of declaring the lethal virus as the "pandemic", WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asserted that the organisation will uncover the origin of the virus. He said it is the moral duty of WHO officials to asses all the hypotheses about its origin.
"Over 3 years into the #COVID19 emergency, too many lives have been lost. Too many people are still suffering, including from #LongCOVID. We'll never stop demanding equitable access to life-saving tools," said the WHO chief.
"Understanding #COVID19’s origins and exploring all hypotheses remains: -a scientific imperative, to help us prevent future outbreaks -a moral imperative, for the sake of the millions of people who died and those who live with #LongCOVID," he added.
Multiple theories on the virus origin
It is worth mentioning that the virus engulfed the whole world in 2020-- months after it was first reported in China's Wuhan province. Since then, a number of theories have been reported in the media, wherein the maximum reports declared the virus originated from China. Meanwhile, many allege China has a big market for animals where mammals like bats and other spices have been sold in an open place. Multiple reports claimed that it had originated from the same region.
However, China, on several occasions, rejected the theories. A team from the World Health Organisation had also visited the site but it did not publish any concrete report against Beijing.
Earlier last month, the US Department of Energy reassessed the theory of lab leaks and reclaimed that the lethal virus leaked from a lab in China's Wuhan city in 2019. The US claimed that China did not make it public "deliberately", resulting in the killing of millions of people across the globe.
China rejects allegations
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao, during a regular press briefing, asserted that the administration had already shared "ample data" and "research results" on the origin of the virus which eventually contributed to global virus tracing research.
"China had shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research,” Mao told reporters.
China slams US govt
Further, the spokesperson alleged Biden administration disseminating bogus claims on the virus to discredit China and added the action would only damage US's own credibility.
"Politicizing the issue of virus tracing will not smear China but will only damage the U.S.’s own credibility," Mao said, in response to complaints from US officials and members of Congress that China has not been entirely cooperative.
Her comments came amid continuing questions about how the virus that has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide first emerged.
Also Read: China replies to US on COVID lab leak theory: 'Already contributed immensely to global virus tracing research'
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