Geneva-International experts will on\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0unveil a report into the origins of Covid-19, as world leaders called for a global treaty to better tackle future pandemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AFP obtained a copy of the final report ahead of its official publication, which concludes that the virus very likely jumped to humans from bats via an intermediary animal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It all but rules out the theory that it originated from a lab, but the World Health Organization chief said all hypotheses on the pandemic\u2019s origins remained open and needed further study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report, by experts convened by the WHO, was released more than a year into the pandemic that has killed nearly 2.8 million people worldwide, with several countries battling new waves of infections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
World leaders called for a new international treaty to better fight future pandemics and for countries to be ready if — or when — another hits. \u00a0\u201cTogether, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated fashion,\u201d they urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The call came in a joint article published in international newspapers on Tuesday, penned by leaders from more than 20 countries — including Germany, France, South Korea and South Africa — along with the European Union and the WHO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking ahead of its publication, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the world to not waste any time in preparing for the next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe time to act is now. The world cannot afford to wait until the pandemic is over to start planning for the next one,\u201d Tedros told a virtual press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Urgent action\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The expert report on the origins of Covid-19 has had a troubled birth, with publication delays adding to the hold-ups and diplomatic wrangling that plagued the WHO\u2019s attempts to get experts into Wuhan — the city at the centre of the initial outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They finally arrived on January 14, more than a year after the first cases surfaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the Covid-19 disease originally came from bats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report authors judged that the most likely scenario was that it had made a direct leap to humans, while not ruling out other theories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beijing\u2019s theory that the virus did not originate in China at all but was imported in frozen food was judged \u201cpossible\u201d but very unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claims promoted by former US president Donald Trump\u2019s administration that the virus escaped from a research lab were judged \u201cextremely unlikely.\u201d Meanwhile, UN chief Guterres called for more debt relief for the poorest countries struggling with economic fallout from the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged a \u201cnew debt mechanism\u201d allowing such options as debt swaps, buy-backs and cancellations to help worse-off countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing an online forum that included dozens of world leaders, he said the pandemic has pushed the world to \u201cthe verge of a debt crisis\u201d and required \u201curgent action.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geneva-International experts will on\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0unveil a report into the origins of Covid-19, as world leaders called for a global treaty to better tackle future pandemics. AFP obtained a copy of the final report ahead of its official publication, which concludes that the virus very likely jumped […]<\/p>\n
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