WHO Probe Says Theory That Pandemic Leaked from Chinese Lab is Unlikely

A team organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic's origins said Tuesday that the virus most likely wasn't leaked from a Chinese laboratory. The WHO thinks it's more likely that the virus jumped to humans from an animal of some kind. Experts arrived in China in January to begin their investigation, which was reportedly limited by COVID-19 protocols and watched closely by Chinese officials. Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHO team, said the lab theory is "not in the hypotheses that we will suggest for future studies." President Joe Biden recently rejoined the WHO after former President Donald Trump left it last summer; Trump had accused the WHO of helping China conceal the pandemic at its outset. Some left-rated coverage reported that the WHO team was pleasantly surprised at the levels of access Chinese officials granted them; other reports contrasted the team's findings with Trump's previous claims. Many right-rated reports concentrated on criticisms of the WHO and China's handling of the pandemic; some focused on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's adamancy that the lab theory is supported by legitimate evidence.