The World Health Organization recently said that their newly recommended task force for the COVID-19 investigation may be the last chance to find the origin of SARS-CoV-2 aka coronavirus.

On Wednesday, the WHO proposed a list of 25 experts to join the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) and advise on the next steps in searching for the origins of the coronavirus after its earlier efforts were slammed for accommodating China, where the first human case of COVID-19 was detected in late 2019.

The proposed members of the Sago group also include six experts who visited China as part of the investigation held in February this year.

Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, said Sago’s work may be the “last chance to understand the origins of this virus”.

What will Sago do?

Unlike the previous coronavirus investigation teams sent by WHO, Sago, in addition to the study of the origin of the COVID-19 causing coronavirus, will also look into the origins of other high-risk pathogens.

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“Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks,” said Dr Tedros, WHO director-general.

The Sago members would be subject to a two-week public consultation period, according to a statement by WHO. Among the suggested members of the new team is Marion Koopmans of the Netherlands and Thea Fischer of Denmark, who were on the WHO team that visited China in February.

Prior investigations by WHO

In January 2021, the World Health Organization sent a team of experts to China to investigate the origin of COVID-19 causing the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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The research led to a report concluding the possibility that the coronavirus leak theory from a Wuhan lab was “extremely unlikely.”

The report was highly criticised by the outside scientists who claimed that the theory had not been properly vetted. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus later acknowledged it had been “premature” to dismiss the lab leak theory.

Ever since, several health experts and scientists have called for an independent investigation to be conducted beyond WHO, pointing that the agency has no authority to compel countries, including China, to cooperate.