Driving the news: The Chinese government rejected the WHO's follow-up investigation as recently as July and has impeded the investigation, according to the report.
- According to the report, China "was and is still reluctant to share raw data" with the investigative team.
What they're saying: "[The] window is rapidly closing on the biological feasibility of conducting the critical trace-back of people and animals inside and outside China. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies wane, so collecting further samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will yield diminishing returns," according to the report in Nature.
- The essay called for the "scientific community and country leaders to join forces to expedite the phase 2 studies detailed here, while there is still time."
Of note: The Biden administration has conducted its own investigation into COVID-19's origins, "including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident."
- A White House official on Wednesday acknowledged receipt of the findings of that study, and said that an "unclassified summary of key judgments" would be made public "soon."
- Nearly two dozen AAPI civil rights groups last week warned the administration that such a study "will put our communities at risk" and legitimizes the "lab leak" conspiracy theory.
- Thousands of anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported since March 2020, nearly half including anti-Chinese or anti-immigrant rhetoric, according to the organization Stop AAPI Hate.
