The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (Sunday), citing an undisclosed U.S. intelligence report, that three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology sought medical care in November 2019, months before China revealed the COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper noted that the report—which provides new details about the number of affected researchers, the timing of their illness, and their hospital visits—may strengthen calls for a broader investigation into whether the virus causing COVID-19 leaked from the lab.
The report came on the eve of a decision-making committee meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO), which is expected to discuss the next steps in the investigation into the origins of COVID-19, according to Reuters news agency. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council did not comment on the newspaper's report but stated that President Joe Biden's administration still has "serious questions about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origin within the People's Republic of China."
She mentioned that the U.S. government is working with WHO and other member countries to support an assessment being conducted by experts on the origins of the pandemic "free from interference or politicization." She added, “We will not make statements that preempt an ongoing study by the WHO on the source of the virus, but we have been clear that sound and credible theories must be assessed by international experts in a thorough manner."
The Wall Street Journal noted that current and former officials familiar with the report on the researchers at the Wuhan lab expressed various views on the strength of the evidence supporting the report, with one unnamed individual stating that the report requires "more investigation and additional evidence."
In March, the United States, Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries expressed concerns about the WHO-led study on the origins of COVID-19, calling for further investigations and allowing full access to all relevant individuals, whether human or animal, and other data regarding the early stages of the outbreak.
An informed source indicated that Washington is keen to ensure increased cooperation and transparency from China. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment yesterday. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (on Sunday) pointed out that a team led by the WHO concluded that a lab leak is highly unlikely following a visit to the virus institute in February.
In response to a request from the newspaper for comment, the ministry stated, "The United States continues to promote the lab leak theory... Is it really interested in tracing the source or trying to divert attention?" The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed to suspect that the virus might have leaked from a Chinese lab, a claim denied by Beijing.
Reuters reported in February that China refused to provide draft data on the initial cases of COVID-19 to the WHO-led team investigating the origins of the pandemic, which could complicate efforts to understand how the outbreak began.
