The World Health Organization (WHO) investigation committee, headed by expert Peter Ben Embarek, said at a news conference that it is “extremely unlikely” that Sars-CoV-2 leaked from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the first one to record an infection from the virus. According to the authorities, there is still no confirmation of the origin of this variant of the coronavirus.

The investigation took place based on four assumptions: direct transmission of a host animal species, probably a bat; an indirect route, through a third species; contagion from viruses on frozen surfaces, such as food; and that the virus had escaped from a laboratory, which was discarded.

Currently, the “most likely” origin of the virus, as stated at a WHO’s news conference, is that of transmission to humans through an intermediate species.

According to Liang Wannian, of the Chinese National Health Commission and head of the Chinese scientists’ commission, no evidence was found to determine that the virus had spread before December 2019. To check this information, it was confirmed that there was no record of death from pneumonia between the months of July and December of that year. In addition, data on sales and consumption of drugs for symptoms similar to those of Covid-19 were analyzed.

Even without knowing how the virus was introduced and spread, the Wuhan market was defined as a source of spread after scientists mapped the cases related to the location. However, there was confirmation that SARS circulated in places other than the food trade in Huanan, Wuhan.

Based on information from WHO and CNN Brazil.