01:18The World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to China for its 'absolutely critical' cooperation amid ongoing investigations into the source of the COVID-19 pandemic during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday.
"We still don't know how the COVID-19 pandemic began, and unfortunately, the work to understand its origins remains unfinished," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He also announced that the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) is finalising its independent assessment of how the pandemic began.
"China's cooperation is absolutely critical to that process," Ghebreyesus said, asking Beijing officials for information on the Onan seafood market, the earliest known and suspected cases of COVID-19, and the work done at Wuhan laboratories during the onset of the pandemic.
"Without this information, none of us are able to rule any hypothesis out until or unless China shares this data. The origins of COVID-19 will largely remain unknown," he added.
Beijing has previously described the WHO's comments on the origins of COVID-19 in China as 'offensive and disrespectful' and accused the organisation of 'attempting to smear' the country.
According to the WHO's official website, there are over 58,000 cases of COVID-19 globally as of August 18, 2024. Meanwhile, over 7.1 million deaths have been caused by the virus worldwide since 2020.
'Co-operation is absolutely critical' - WHO chief calls on China for transparency over origins of COVID-19
The World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to China for its 'absolutely critical' cooperation amid ongoing investigations into the source of the COVID-19 pandemic during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday.
"We still don't know how the COVID-19 pandemic began, and unfortunately, the work to understand its origins remains unfinished," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He also announced that the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) is finalising its independent assessment of how the pandemic began.
"China's cooperation is absolutely critical to that process," Ghebreyesus said, asking Beijing officials for information on the Onan seafood market, the earliest known and suspected cases of COVID-19, and the work done at Wuhan laboratories during the onset of the pandemic.
"Without this information, none of us are able to rule any hypothesis out until or unless China shares this data. The origins of COVID-19 will largely remain unknown," he added.
Beijing has previously described the WHO's comments on the origins of COVID-19 in China as 'offensive and disrespectful' and accused the organisation of 'attempting to smear' the country.
According to the WHO's official website, there are over 58,000 cases of COVID-19 globally as of August 18, 2024. Meanwhile, over 7.1 million deaths have been caused by the virus worldwide since 2020.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to China for its 'absolutely critical' cooperation amid ongoing investigations into the source of the COVID-19 pandemic during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday.
"We still don't know how the COVID-19 pandemic began, and unfortunately, the work to understand its origins remains unfinished," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He also announced that the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) is finalising its independent assessment of how the pandemic began.
"China's cooperation is absolutely critical to that process," Ghebreyesus said, asking Beijing officials for information on the Onan seafood market, the earliest known and suspected cases of COVID-19, and the work done at Wuhan laboratories during the onset of the pandemic.
"Without this information, none of us are able to rule any hypothesis out until or unless China shares this data. The origins of COVID-19 will largely remain unknown," he added.
Beijing has previously described the WHO's comments on the origins of COVID-19 in China as 'offensive and disrespectful' and accused the organisation of 'attempting to smear' the country.
According to the WHO's official website, there are over 58,000 cases of COVID-19 globally as of August 18, 2024. Meanwhile, over 7.1 million deaths have been caused by the virus worldwide since 2020.