Finding COVID-19's origins is a moral imperative: WHO's Tedros
1 year, 9 months ago

Finding COVID-19's origins is a moral imperative: WHO's Tedros

The Hindu  

Discovering the origins of COVID-19 is a moral imperative and all hypotheses must be explored, the head of the World Health Organization said, in his strongest comments yet that the U.N. body remains committed to finding how the virus arose. "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," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Twitter. Activists, politicians and academics said in an open letter this weekend that the focus of the anniversary should be on preventing a repeat of the unequal COVID-19 vaccine rollout, saying this led to at least 1.3 million preventable deaths. In 2021, a WHO-led team spent weeks in and around Wuhan, China where the first human cases were reported and said in a joint report that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal but further research was needed.

Covid  whos  covid19s  remains  finding  pandemic  imperative  scientific  hypotheses  virus  moral  tedros  origins  reported  saying

History of this topic

China says shared Covid information 'without holding anything back'
1 week, 3 days ago

China says shared Covid information 'without holding anything back'

Raw Story  

Beijing insisted on Tuesday that it had shared information on Covid-19 "without holding anything back", after the World Health Organization implored China to offer more data and access to understand the disease's origins. "Without holding anything back, we shared our prevention, control and treatment experience," she told reporters at a regular press briefing. China was "willing to continue working with …

‘Moral imperative’: WHO presses China to share COVID origins data
1 week, 4 days ago

‘Moral imperative’: WHO presses China to share COVID origins data

Al Jazeera  

Beijing insists it has shared information on the coronavirus ‘without holding anything back’. “Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.” The WHO recounted how on December 31, 2019, its country office in China picked up a media statement from health authorities in the central city of Wuhan concerning …

Shared most Covid data: China's defence as WHO says Beijing's 'moral imperative'
1 week, 4 days ago

Shared most Covid data: China's defence as WHO says Beijing's 'moral imperative'

India Today  

The Chinese government on Tuesday said that it has shared the most Covid-19 data and research findings with the international community and stressed that investigations into the origins of coronavirus should be conducted in other countries as well. Beijing's remarks came after the World Health Organisation urged the country to share data on the origins of the pandemic, five years …

House Covid-19 panel releases final report criticizing public health response to the pandemic
1 month, 1 week ago

House Covid-19 panel releases final report criticizing public health response to the pandemic

CNN  

CNN — A Republican-led House committee investigating broad aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects in the US released a final report Monday summarizing its two-year effort, saying it hoped the work would “serve as a road map for Congress, the Executive Branch, and the private sector to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.” In the 520-page report, …

‘Beyond reasonable doubt’ Covid pandemic originated at Wuhan market stall
3 months, 3 weeks ago

‘Beyond reasonable doubt’ Covid pandemic originated at Wuhan market stall

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy It is beyond “reasonable doubt” that the Covid-19 pandemic originated in …

Government’s ‘fatal strategic flaws’ in Covid planning led to avoidable deaths and economic pain
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Government’s ‘fatal strategic flaws’ in Covid planning led to avoidable deaths and economic pain

The Independent  

Mass deaths and economic pain during the Covid-19 pandemic were driven by “fatal flaws” in planning by the government, civil servants and scientists who prepared for the “wrong pandemic”, a public inquiry has found. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Heather Hallett, published its first report on Thursday, focusing on the UK’s pandemic “preparedness and resilience”. The 217-page report said …

Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonous
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonous

Associated Press  

BEIJING — The hunt for the origins of COVID-19 has gone dark in China, the victim of political infighting after a series of stalled and thwarted attempts to find the source of the virus that killed millions and paralyzed the world for months. In a faxed statement, China’s Foreign Ministry defended China’s handling of research into the origins, saying the …

COVID-19: Why we're looking for the pandemic's origin
9 months, 3 weeks ago

COVID-19: Why we're looking for the pandemic's origin

Hindustan Times  

Discovering COVID's origin will shape the next pandemic. Some experts say it's possible that the Wuhan lab had progenitor strains — ancestors — of SARS-CoV-2, but China's alleged withholding information on the origin of COVID makes this impossible to prove or disprove. "Every form of the lab leak theory involves some sort of cover up, which to me means that …

Will we be prepared for "Disease X?" Misinformation could leave us vulnerable to a future pandemic
11 months ago

Will we be prepared for "Disease X?" Misinformation could leave us vulnerable to a future pandemic

Salon  

Pandemics have always been a major part of human history, they still dominate our present to some degree, and it would be prudent to prepare for them in the future to avoid the worst case scenario. “There's always the sense of ‘Is there another virus family out there that could cause a problem?’ They needed a “Disease X,” he said. …

Revealed: US and China sought to create virus in 2018 similar to Covid
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Revealed: US and China sought to create virus in 2018 similar to Covid

Daily Mail  

Bombshell new documents shed light on a shady 2018 project between US and Chinese scientists to create a novel virus with the same rare features seen in Covid. In initial proposals for DEFUSE, the lab work was to be done in a biosafety-level 2 lab, which researchers said would appeal to federal grant-makers as 'highly cost effective' despite the fewer …

REVEALED: How American and Chinese scientists sought to create a virus in 2018 that was almost an EXACT match with Covid
11 months, 3 weeks ago

REVEALED: How American and Chinese scientists sought to create a virus in 2018 that was almost an EXACT match with Covid

Daily Mail  

They requested several aspects that are found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus Bombshell new documents shed light on a shady 2018 project between US and Chinese scientists to create a novel virus with the same rare features seen in Covid. All four characteristics scientists sought to create a novel virus in the 2018 research proposal match features of SARS-CoV-2, the virus …

Michael Gove suggests to Covid-19 inquiry that virus was ‘man-made’
1 year, 1 month ago

Michael Gove suggests to Covid-19 inquiry that virus was ‘man-made’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Asked about shortcomings in preparedness for a new virus, the senior Tory said: “There …

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO
1 year, 1 month ago

No ‘unusual’ virus behind rising Pneumonia cases China has clarified, reveals WHO

Firstpost  

Since mid-October 2023, the World Health Organization has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China China has reiterated that no unusual or new pathogens have been detected in the upsurge in child respiratory illnesses in the north, the WHO said on Thursday after putting pressure on Beijing for detailed …

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO
1 year, 1 month ago

Spike in illnesses isn’t a new pathogen, China reassures WHO

Salon  

An outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China has sparked alarm, but the sudden rise in sickness is not related to a new virus, according to Chinese health authorities. So far, the data suggests that there’s nothing out of the ordinary, but both the WHO and China have been criticized in the past for not being entirely transparent about the COVID-19 …

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’
1 year, 1 month ago

On China pneumonia outbreak, scientists caution to not press ‘pandemic panic button’

Hindustan Times  

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019: "Undiagnosed pneumonia - China." "I am not going …

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter
1 year, 1 month ago

China on ALERT over likely COVID-19 relapse ahead of winter

India TV News  

COVID-19 alert: Ahead of the winter season, an alert has been sounded across China about the relapse of COVID-19 infections and experts have asked elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a total of 209 new severe COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths caused by COVID-19 were reported across the country …

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Unanswered questions, lessons learnt and ongoing challenges
1 year, 2 months ago

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Unanswered questions, lessons learnt and ongoing challenges

Firstpost  

The COVID-19 pandemic that impacted all aspects of human life, quite literally cancelled the planet. Was any internal advice given to the Government of India that the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna were better, despite the fact that they were significantly more expensive and difficult to administer? Covishield, developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca in the UK, is similar to previous …

Is THIS how the Covid pandemic began after all? Study finds strain of virus in PANGOLINS was nearly identical to the strain in humans
1 year, 3 months ago

Is THIS how the Covid pandemic began after all? Study finds strain of virus in PANGOLINS was nearly identical to the strain in humans

Daily Mail  

As infectious disease experts continue to probe the true origin of the Covid pandemic, new research is making a case for pangolins as the middlemen between the original animal host and humans. The research team found the strain of coronavirus harbored in the rare animal was nearly identical to the one that has pummeled humans, leading them to theorize that …

WHO chief urges China for ‘full access’ to solve origins of COVID-19
1 year, 3 months ago

WHO chief urges China for ‘full access’ to solve origins of COVID-19

Op India  

The Chief of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged Beijing to grant ‘full access’ and offer more information on the origins of COVID-19, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Tedros said, “We’re pressing China to give full access, and we are asking countries to raise it during their bilateral meetings — to cooperate. Speaking with Financial Times, …

COVID-19 still a global health threat, new variant under scanner: WHO chief
1 year, 4 months ago

COVID-19 still a global health threat, new variant under scanner: WHO chief

The Hindu  

Director-General of WHO Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus on August 18 said though COVID-19 is no longer a health emergency for the world, it is still a ‘global health threat’ and a new variant of coronavirus is already under the scanner. “Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, it remains a global health threat. On the occasion, he urged all …

COVID-19 origins remain a mystery, declassified report shows
1 year, 6 months ago

COVID-19 origins remain a mystery, declassified report shows

LA Times  

Security personnel gather near the entrance of the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a visit by a team from the World Health Organization in 2021. U.S. intelligence agencies weren’t able to determine whether researchers at laboratory in Wuhan, China, who fell sick in the fall of 2019 were infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the disease that soon spread …

No evidence COVID-19 created in Chinese lab: U.S. intelligence
1 year, 6 months ago

No evidence COVID-19 created in Chinese lab: U.S. intelligence

The Hindu  

The head of U.S. intelligence said on Friday that there was no evidence that the COVID-19 virus was created in the Chinese government's Wuhan research lab. Drawing on intelligence collected by various member agencies of the U.S. intelligence community, the ODNI report said some scientists at the Wuhan lab had done genetic engineering of coronaviruses similar to COVID-19. The report …

US intelligence report on COVID-19 origins rejects some points raised by lab leak theory proponents
1 year, 6 months ago

US intelligence report on COVID-19 origins rejects some points raised by lab leak theory proponents

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials released an intelligence report Friday that rejected some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, instead reiterating that American spy agencies remain divided over how the pandemic began. But the report says U.S. intelligence “has no information, however, indicating that any WIV genetic engineering work has involved SARS-CoV-2, a close progenitor, …

‘Even deadlier…’: WHO chief warns of next pandemic as Covid-19 cases dip
1 year, 7 months ago

‘Even deadlier…’: WHO chief warns of next pandemic as Covid-19 cases dip

Hindustan Times  

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the world should be ready for the next pandemic, which might be “even deadlier” than the Covid-19 pandemic. Tedros's statement comes days after the WHO said Covid-19 was no longer a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating pandemic that has claimed at least 7 million lives worldwide. …

WHO, Believes Disease X Could Create A Pandemic Like Situation, All You Need To Know
1 year, 7 months ago

WHO, Believes Disease X Could Create A Pandemic Like Situation, All You Need To Know

News 18  

As the world gradually returns to a sense of normalcy following the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the scientific and public health communities remain steadfast in their preparations for future outbreaks and pandemics. As the global community reflects on the challenges and lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the pursuit of knowledge and preventive measures against future outbreaks …

Deadlier than COVID…, WHO chief warns threat of ‘another pandemic’ emerging
1 year, 7 months ago

Deadlier than COVID…, WHO chief warns threat of ‘another pandemic’ emerging

Live Mint  

World Health Organization chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the world should be prepared for a future virus that could be even deadlier than COVID-19. Tedros said that the world must prepare for a virus that is "even deadlier" than Covid which he stated has killed at least 20 million, reported The Independent. “And the threat of another …

Learn from missteps in Covid’s early days
1 year, 8 months ago

Learn from missteps in Covid’s early days

Hindustan Times  

Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency, the World Health Organization declared last week, roughly 1,200 days after it first learnt of a new coronavirus spreading through Wuhan, China. Still, WHO’s word is a strong determinant in global health discourse and on this count, the agency fell short in its mission, especially in the early days of the pandemic. …

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over
1 year, 8 months ago

China to remain alert even as WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency over

Firstpost  

A top Chinese health official said that despite the World Health Organisation ending the worldwide emergency designation for COVID-19, the virus is still dangerous and China will continue to monitor it while boosting vaccination rates among high-risk groups. According to Liang Wannian, head of China’s COVID-19 response expert group under the National Health Commission, the warning status being lifted by …

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency
1 year, 8 months ago

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in …

COVID-19 no longer a global emergency, says WHO
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID-19 no longer a global emergency, says WHO

The Hindu  

The World Health Organization said on May 5 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It's with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus …

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'
1 year, 8 months ago

World Health Organisation downgrades Covid pandemic: 'No longer global emergency'

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That …

COVID no longer a global health emergency, WHO says
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID no longer a global health emergency, WHO says

Al Jazeera  

UN health agency declares end to public health emergency of international concern, in place for more than three years. COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a “global health emergency”, the World Health Organization says. “Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern,” WHO …

COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, World Health Organization says
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, World Health Organization says

LA Times  

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not …

Humans brought Covid to Wuhan market? Chinese scientist's shocking claim
1 year, 9 months ago

Humans brought Covid to Wuhan market? Chinese scientist's shocking claim

Hindustan Times  

A Chinese scientist claimed that the Covid-19 virus may have originated in humans negating the theory that the virus jumped from animals to humans at the Wuhan market. Tong Yigang of the Beijing University of Chemical Technology said that the genetic sequences of viral samples taken from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan were “almost identical” to those of patients …

'Until China shares all data on COVID origin, all hypotheses remained on table': WHO Chief
1 year, 9 months ago

'Until China shares all data on COVID origin, all hypotheses remained on table': WHO Chief

India TV News  

The World Health Organization chief has again insisted China share proper data on the origin of the COVID-19 virus and said until it shares relevant data, it remains a top mystery for the world. WHO chief urges China to share data "Without full access to the information that China has, all hypotheses are on the table. Further, he expressed grave …

‘Not lying, truth is…’: Scientist who found Wuhan Covid data speaks out
1 year, 9 months ago

‘Not lying, truth is…’: Scientist who found Wuhan Covid data speaks out

Hindustan Times  

A scientist from Paris stumbled upon Covid genetic data which was taken from swabs taken at the Huanan seafood market in China's Wuhan just weeks after the virus first emerged. The data suddenly vanished from public view later but the accidental discovery led to confirmation for the first time that animals susceptible to Covid were present at the Wuhan market. …

COVID-19 origins | GISAID U-turn adds to confusion over ‘new’ Chinese data
1 year, 9 months ago

COVID-19 origins | GISAID U-turn adds to confusion over ‘new’ Chinese data

The Hindu  

In an unusual turn of events, the scientists who recently announced what they said was “compelling” evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic had a ‘natural’ origin rather than being the product of a lab experiment gone awry were banned by GISAID from using the database that contained the genomic information they used for their study – only for the latter to …

Biden signs bill on COVID-19 origins declassification
1 year, 9 months ago

Biden signs bill on COVID-19 origins declassification

The Hindu  

President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill on Monday that directs the federal government to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 more than three years after the start of the pandemic. The legislation, which passed both the House and Senate without dissent, directs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence related …

Covid ‘most-likely’ jumped from animals to humans, claims new report
1 year, 9 months ago

Covid ‘most-likely’ jumped from animals to humans, claims new report

Hindustan Times  

A new analysis of samples taken from a market in Wuhan, China during the early days of the pandemic are the strongest evidence yet that the Covid-19 virus jumped from animals to humans, some researchers say. “These data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday in …

Biden signs bill on Covid-19 origins declassification
1 year, 9 months ago

Biden signs bill on Covid-19 origins declassification

India Today  

US President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill Monday that directs the federal government to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of Covid-19 more than three years after the start of the pandemic. The legislation, which passed both the House and Senate without dissent, directs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence related …

Explained | A boost to the zoonoses theory regarding the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
1 year, 9 months ago

Explained | A boost to the zoonoses theory regarding the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

The Hindu  

The story so far: In the never-ending debate about the origin of the virus that set off the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now fresh grist for the mill for those who have held out for the zoonotic angle — that the infection skipped from animals to humans. Undisclosed genetic data from a food market in Wuhan has been unearthed and …

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19
1 year, 9 months ago

WHO accuses China of withholding information on origin of COVID-19

The Hindu  

The World Health Organisation has accused China of withholding information and data that may throw light on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has asked why such information was not shared three years ago. GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source established in 2008 that provides open access to genomic data of influenza viruses and the coronavirus …

Three years later, what we know: How did COVID start?
1 year, 10 months ago

Three years later, what we know: How did COVID start?

Al Jazeera  

Three years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, questions linger about the origins of the virus that shut down borders, forced humanity into their homes, battered economies and killed millions of people. In early February, the US Department of Energy’s intelligence agency said with “low confidence” that it believed the virus originated from …

Come clean on Covid origins, says WHO as lab leak theory gains momentum
1 year, 10 months ago

Come clean on Covid origins, says WHO as lab leak theory gains momentum

India Today  

The WHO on Friday urged all countries to reveal what they know about the origins of Covid-19, following US claims of a Chinese lab leak and furious denials from Beijing. FBI director Christopher Wray told Fox News television on Tuesday that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had now assessed the source of the Covid-19 pandemic was "most likely a …

US govt finally close to admitting what everyone knew, that Covid came from a lab in Wuhan
1 year, 10 months ago

US govt finally close to admitting what everyone knew, that Covid came from a lab in Wuhan

Op India  

The United Senate has unanimously voted to call for a bill to declassify all intelligence regarding the origins of Covid 19, more than 3 years after the pandemic broke and killed millions of people around the world. pic.twitter.com/liNdlhoKu1 — Disclose.tv March 2, 2023 The development comes a day after the US Department of Energy and later the FBI confirmed that …

China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory
1 year, 10 months ago

China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory

Firstpost  

Beijing: For the second day in a row, China on Wednesday dismissed U.S. suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been triggered by a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory. Responding to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the U.S. intelligence community was evidence enough of the “politicization of origin …

Covid-19 'most likely' leaked from Chinese government controlled lab in Wuhan, says FBI director
1 year, 10 months ago

Covid-19 'most likely' leaked from Chinese government controlled lab in Wuhan, says FBI director

Firstpost  

Washington: Covid-19 pandemic “most likely” originated from a Chinese government controlled lab in Wuhan, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. ‘Covid origin likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan’ In an interview to Fox News, Wray said: “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.” …

Covid 'most likely' leaked from China-controlled lab: FBI director's assertion
1 year, 10 months ago

Covid 'most likely' leaked from China-controlled lab: FBI director's assertion

Hindustan Times  

The Covid virus most likely leaked from a lab in Wuhan in China, FBI director Christopher Wray said. "The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan," Christopher Wray told Fox News in an interview. ”And that's unfortunate for everybody," he added, saying that the …

Covid-19 pandemic likely originated from a lab incident in China, tweets FBI
1 year, 10 months ago

Covid-19 pandemic likely originated from a lab incident in China, tweets FBI

India TV News  

FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a lab incident in Wuhan even as China on Tuesday pushed back at renewed suggestions that the pandemic could have been the result of a lab leak, saying it has been “open and transparent” in the search for the virus’ origins. "FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that the …

Discover Related