Covid-19: 'Need to get to bottom' of virus origins, says White House adviser

FILE PHOTO: A view of the White House in Washington, U.S. (REUTERS)Premium
FILE PHOTO: A view of the White House in Washington, U.S. (REUTERS)
 1 min read . Updated: 26 May 2021, 05:45 AM IST Edited By Staff Writer

The precise origin of the virus remains undetermined and speculation has reigned about whether it jumped from animals to humans

White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt says “we need to get to the bottom" of the origins of the pandemic pathogen and the World Health Organization and China need to do more to provide definitive answers for the global community.

The precise origin of the virus remains undetermined and speculation has reigned about whether it jumped from animals to humans or whether it could have escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan, the city that saw the first outbreak.

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“We need a completely transparent process from China," Slavitt said at Tuesday's coronavirus task force briefing. Full assistance from the WHO is needed, and “we don't have that now."

Dr. Anthony Fauci said “many of us" feel like it was a natural occurrence, but “we don't know 100%" and it is imperative to investigate.

With inputs from PTI

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