Unders­tandin­g virus' origin­s is critic­al for preven­ting future outbre­aks, says WHO's execut­ive direct­or of emerge­nciesGENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is assured that Covid-19 is natural in origin, and it is vital to establish the natural host for the virus, after the US president said he had seen evidence it originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Instead, Ryan said: “With regard to the origins of the virus in Wuhan – again and again to numerous scientists who looked at the sequences and looked at this virus, we are assured that this virus is natural in origin.”“What is important is that we establish that natural host for this virus is,” said Ryan. He said the primary purpose of doing that is to ensure that scientists understand the virus more. “We understand the animal-human interface, and we understand how the animals-human species barrier was breached,” said Ryan, the WHO official seen as dealing with hard questions at press conferences. Many of Trump’s claims about Covid-19, from the course of the virus’ spread to its treatment, have faced widespread challenges and even ridicule from public health specialists and observers.

Source: The Express Tribune May 02, 2020 06:00 UTC