China cannot accept the World Health Organization's plan for the second phase of a study into the origins of COVID-19, a senior Chinese health official said Thursday. He dismissed the lab leak idea as a rumour that runs counter to common sense and science. "It is impossible for us to accept such an origin-tracing plan," he said at a news conference called to address the COVID-19 origins issue. The Biden administration in a statement Thursday criticized China's rejection of WHO's plan for the second phase of a study into the origins of COVID-19. The so-called lab leak theory is controversial, but scientists say it cannot be definitively ruled out.

Source: CBC News July 22, 2021 08:03 UTC