World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhnom Ghebreyesus, during a virtual conference on Monday, said that the UN health agency had received the report on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and all hypotheses on the pandemic’s origins remained open. He further said that the international experts’ report needed further study.

“All hypotheses are open, from what I read from the report,” Tedros told a virtual press conference in Geneva, adding that they “will need further study”, news agency AFP reported. 

A team of international experts visited Wuhan in China in January and February this year to examine four possible pathways by which SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 disease — might have entered humans before spreading around the world.

“WHO has received the full mission report over the weekend on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the team that visited Wuhan earlier this year,” Tedros confirmed.

He said a mission briefing would be held between the international experts and the WHO’s 194 member states on Tuesday, after which the report would be published on the organisation’s website.

“We will read the report and discuss, digest its content and next steps with member states,” Tedros said.

The report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, considering it to be a “likely to very likely” pathway.