WHO statement on the progress of the next series of studies to discover the origin of SARS-CoV-2

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO has been working with Member States and the scientific community to better understand how this pandemic started so that we can better prepare for the next one.

Following the publication of a joint WHO-China report on the first phase of studies on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in March 2021, the WHO outlined the next set of studies to be undertaken and discussions with Member States and experts on the next steps continue.

To make progress, the WHO calls on all governments to depoliticize the situation and work together to accelerate studies on origins, and it is important that they work together to develop a common framework for future new pathogens of pandemic potential.

The WHO priority is for scientists to continue the first phase of the study, implement the recommendations set out in the March 2021 report, and accelerate scientific efforts on all hypotheses. Finding the origin of any new pathogen is a difficult process based on science and requires cooperation, dedication and time.

The WHO reiterates that the search for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is not and should not be an exercise in attributing guilt, pointing the finger, or collecting political points. It is vital to know how the COVID-19 pandemic began, to set an example for determining the origin of all future animal and human overflow events.

Countries have a collective responsibility to work together in the true spirit of partnership and to provide scientists and experts with the space they need to find the origins of the worst pandemic of the century. Building on what has already been learned, the next series of studies would include further examination of raw data from the earliest cases and serum from potential early cases in 2019. Access to data is crucial to developing our understanding of science and should not be politicized to any way.

The WHO is working with a number of countries that have reported the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from stored biological samples since 2019. For example, in Italy, the WHO allowed an independent assessment of the findings of one such study by international laboratories. pandemics. Sharing raw data and granting permission to retest samples in laboratories outside Italy best reflects scientific solidarity and is no different from what we encourage all countries, including China, to support so that we can make rapid progress in origin research and effectively.

The International Scientific Advisory Group on the Origin of New Pathogens, or SAGO, is a new advisory group to the WHO, which will be responsible for advising the WHO on developing a global framework for the systematic study of emerging pathogens with pandemic potential. For SARS-CoV-2, it will support the rapid undertaking of the recommended studies listed in the March 2021 report.

By announcing a public call for the appointment of SAGO, the WHO provides a transparent basis for a new scientific advisory group with which we expect all Member States to be involved. The WHO hopes for continuity from previous missions to China for SARS-CoV-2, as well as other missions that study the origins of, for example, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, bird flu, Lasse and Ebola.

This open call aims to ensure that a wide range of scientific skills and expertise is identified to advise the WHO on the studies needed to determine the origin of any future or recurrence of pandemic potential pathogens.

China and a number of other member states have written to the WHO on the basis for further research on the “laboratory hypothesis” about SARS-CoV-2. They also suggested that the origin study was politicized or that the WHO acted due to political pressure.

By reviewing the report on the first phase of the study, the WHO found that there was not enough scientific evidence to rule out any of the hypotheses. In particular, in order to respond to the “laboratory hypothesis”, it is important to have access to all data and to consider best scientific practice and to look at the mechanisms that the WHO already has. The WHO focuses only on science, provides solutions and builds solidarity.

Smallpox is the only human virus ever eradicated. There are two countries in the world that keep smallpox supplies in safe laboratories: Russia and the United States. WHO Biosafety Team Inspections VECTOR and CDC laboratories appear every two years, most recently in January and February 2019 (VECTOR) and May 2019 (CDC). The report is then submitted to the World Health Assembly, and inspection reports are published on the WHO website.

Analyzing and improving laboratory safety and protocols in all laboratories around the world, including China, is important for our collective biosafety and safety.

Finding the origin of a new virus is an immensely difficult scientific task that requires time. WHO is committed to following science and we call on all governments to set aside the differences and work together to provide all the data and approaches needed so that the next series of studies can begin as soon as possible.