The WHO Finally Admits The Lab Leak Might Be Worth Checking Out

The World Health Organization’s new advisory group tasked with investigating the origin of COVID-19 said Thursday that the lab-leak theory warrants another look.

The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) released its preliminary report Thursday, the first results of its work to find the origin of COVID-19. The report still claims that a natural origin of SARS-CoV-2 followed by a spillover from animal to human is the most likely origin for the pandemic, but says that the lab leak theory deserves further scrutiny as well.

“The current available data on the closest related SARS-like viruses and susceptibility of many animal species to SARS-CoV-2 suggest a zoonotic source,” the report says. “The SAGO notes that there has not been any new data made available to evaluate the laboratory as a pathway of SARS-CoV-2 into the human population and recommends further investigations into this and all other possible pathways.”