19 scientists from the United States and Canada wrote an open letter calling for a more thorough study of the version of the laboratory leak of the coronavirus. The text of the letter was published in the journal Science.
The authors, in particular, write about the report of the World Health Organization (WHO), which was released at the end of March following an investigation to establish the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which caused the pandemic.
“Although no results were presented to support natural transmission of the virus or accidental laboratory leakage, the team assessed the version of transmission of the virus to humans through an intermediary animal.
as “most likely” and laboratory leak as “extremely unlikely”. Moreover, both of these theories have not received a balanced consideration. Only four of the 313 pages of the report and its annexes were devoted to a possible laboratory accident, ”the scientists note. In addition, they recall, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus pointed out the unworthiness of the evidence considered in the report confirming a laboratory leak and called for further investigation into the causes of the virus.
“As scientists with relevant expertise, we agree with the Director-General of WHO, the United States and 13 other countries, as well as the European Union, that it is necessary and possible to achieve greater clarity about the origin of this pandemic,” the scientists said. “We need to take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory causes of the virus seriously until we get enough data.” According to them, the investigation should be transparent, objective and conducted by independent experts in order to “minimize the consequences of a conflict of interest.”
Among the signatories – Professor of the Department of Genomic Sciences at the University of Washington Jesse D. Bloom, Professor of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Ralph S. Barick, Professor of the University of Southern California and California Institute of Technology Pamela Bjorkman and other scientists from the USA, Canada, Great Britain …
