The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its intentions to dispatch a team of scientists to China for a fresh investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 virus and how it initially spread to humans, a situation that triggered a global health crisis.

The WHO’s initial inquiry in 2021, which involved a group of scientists visiting Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, concluded that COVID-19 had emerged naturally.

However, there have been allegations that Beijing refused to engage in discussions about the lab leak theory unless the final report declared that no further investigation was necessary. China was also accused of withholding crucial data and samples.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, has now written to Beijing requesting “full access” and expressing readiness to dispatch investigators.

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In an interview with the Financial Times, Dr. Ghebreyesus stated, “We’re pressing China to give full access… We have already asked in writing to give us information… and also [are] willing to send a team if they allow us to do so.”

The WHO’s initial investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in 2021 was heavily criticized and marked by a lack of cooperation from the Chinese government.

Dr. Ghebreyesus’s recent comments indicate the WHO’s growing willingness to challenge China over its perceived lack of transparency regarding COVID-19.

Nearly four years after the virus first emerged in Wuhan, scientists remain uncertain about its origin. Understanding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic is considered crucial to prevent future outbreaks.

Leading virologists who support the theory of natural origins believe that the virus originated in bats and then infected an intermediary species, possibly a pangolin, before making the jump to humans.

Several studies have pointed to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan as the epicenter of the outbreak, as many of the earliest cases in December 2019 and January 2020 were linked to the market, where live animals were sold.