Situation Report: Scientists issue open letter as pushback against suspect WHO COVID-19 origins report gains momentum

On April 7, a group of 24 scientists issued an open letter demanding a full investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and sharply criticized a March 30 World Health Organization report which “failed to reach some most basic standards of credible analysis and assessment.”

The letter noted that the WHO study team prioritized animal origin over other possible sources, that the supporting data mostly came from Chinese government studies that had not be published or shared with the outside world and that key records and biological samples remained inaccessible.

Their recommendations for a new study included removal of veto power by any government of the composition of the experts team, a more robust process for dealing with possible conflicts of interest and “an official mandate allowing international experts to request full or significant access to all sites, records, and samples of interest, and to interview relevant people without the presence of government authorities.”

A supplement to the letter also presented 13 Incorrect, Disputed, Contradictory or Imprecise statements they found in the March 30 WHO report.

The 24 scientists are not alone in their skepticism. The director-general of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus himself commented on the day the report was released that the WHO did not sufficiently investigate the lab leak theory. Tedros said:

The team also visited several laboratories in Wuhan and considered the possibility that the virus entered the human population as a result of a laboratory incident. However, I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. Further data and studies will be needed to reach more robust conclusions.

Meanwhile, the Biden State Department, often criticized for its relatively soft line on the WHO and what are widely regarded to be their Chinese Communist Party (CCP) patrons in Beijing, issued a firm joint statement alongside 13 democratic allies calling the March 30 report into question:

Together, we support a transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from undue influence, of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, we join in expressing shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China.

This open skepticism from a confluence of scientific, governmental and diplomatic sources marks growing momentum to hold the CCP accountable for what many see as a deliberate and consistent pattern of obfuscation when it comes to the origins and handling of the virus within the borders of China, and expose how the CCP’s early decisions set COVID-19 on a trajectory to kill millions and disrupt life across the globe.