WHO Urges China for Greater Transparency on COVID-19 Origins

Five years after the pandemic's onset, the World Health Organization reiterates calls for comprehensive data sharing to understand the virus's origins and prevent future pandemics.

The WHO emphasized the 'moral and scientific imperative' for China to provide full access to data and information on COVID-19's origins, citing ongoing global vulnerabilities to future pandemics.
China maintains it has shared extensive data and research, but the WHO and international experts continue to express concerns over limited transparency and access to early pandemic information.
Investigations into COVID-19's origins remain inconclusive, with theories ranging from zoonotic transmission at Wuhan's seafood market to the contested lab-leak hypothesis.
The WHO highlighted significant global progress in pandemic preparedness since 2020 but acknowledged persistent weaknesses in international cooperation and data sharing.
Efforts to finalize a global pandemic treaty by 2025 continue, with debates centering on obligations for sharing emerging pathogen data and equitable access to vaccines and treatments.