World Health Organisation releases COVID-19 origin investigation findings

Health Minister Greg Hunt has lashed an ABC host for their left-leaning politics during an awkward exchange on the WHO’s COVID origins report.

It’s “no surprise” there were no concrete findings in the World Health Organisation’s Wuhan investigations into the source of the coronavirus, Health Minister Greg Hunt says.

Mr Hunt said from the experts’ month-long investigation at what is believed to be ground-zero of COVID-19, it appeared “overwhelming likely” the virus had come from the animal kingdom.

“I think it’s no surprise that there – there would be no surprises in the findings to date,” he told the ABC.

“We’ll await the final written report.”

Mr Hunt said he was “pleased” the theory “about labs” had been ruled out.

Greg Hunt during the ABC interview with Michael Rowland on Wednesday.

“That was never the advice, nothing something that the Australian Government has ever pursued,” he said.

“Always, though, we have to learn from this virus.”

In a terse exchange with ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland, Mr Hunt defended his decision to include a Liberal Party logo on an image shared to his Facebook account announcing the federal government had acquired 10 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

“Overwhelmingly, we do these things as the Australian Government,” he said.

“On a particular channel, there’s no problem with identifying entirely appropriately within the rules the origins and heritage of that under – that banner in which we were elected by the Australian people.”

Members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Picture: Hector Retamal/ AFP

Asked again why he had included the political logo on a government announcement, Mr Hunt cut Mr Rowland off and accused him of identifying “with the left”.

“You do this a lot, and I respect that,” Mr Hunt said.

When Mr Rowland said he found the accusation “offensive,” Mr Hunt continued by saying the presenter should be “open” about his political leanings.

“There’s nobody who’s watching you that don’t identify you as the left,” Mr Hunt said.

“You should be open about that.

“I’m open about my origins and in fact, I ran as an elected representative and there are numerous other examples across a variety of parties.

“It’s important for you to be honest about your position and your origins.”

The World Health Organisation found it “impossible” to trace the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic despite a 28-day investigation in Wuhan.

Members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Picture: Hector Retamal/ AFP

The WHO’s Global Study of Origins of SARS-Cov 2 team confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday they could not confirm a specific source of the virus despite arriving in Wuhan on January 14 to complete “systematic and comprehensive” research.

Professor Liang Wannian, who heads China’s 17 experts in the team working alongside 10 international experts, said the investigation had now concluded but had been unable to pinpoint exactly where the pandemic started in December 2019.

He said while the most “substantial” amount of cases came from one wet market in Wuhan in December 2019, transmission of virus cases had also been traced elsewhere at the same time.

Peter Ben Embarek and Marion Koopmans attend a press conference to wrap up a visit by an international team of experts from the World Health Organization in Wuhan. Picture: Hector Retamal/ AFP

“While some of the early cases had an association with the Huanan seafood market, others were associated with another market and some no market at all,” Prof Liang said.

He said it wasn’t possible to understand how the virus was introduced to the wet market.

Researchers will now focus on the virus’ transmission between animals to discover how it was passed on to humans, after surveys revealed bats and pangolins could be “reservoirs” for COVID-19.

But viruses found in both species so far are not similar enough to have been the source of COVID-19.

Prof Liang also said minks and cats were also potential virus reservoirs but he said there was “not adequate enough” research proving this.