The World Health Organization has urged China to share data on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, five years after it erupted in the city of Wuhan.

“This is an ethical and scientific imperative,” the World Health Organization said in a statement marking the anniversary of what it called a “milestone.”

“Without transparency, sharing and cooperation between countries, the world will not be able to adequately prevent and respond to future epidemics and pandemics,” the report added.

Many scientists believe the virus spread naturally from animals to humans, but some still suspect it leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.

China has yet to respond to the WHO’s statement on Monday. It has strongly rejected the lab leak theory in the past.

In September, a group of scientists said there was “no doubt” COVID-19 pandemic started with infected animals sold in marketsrather than a laboratory leak.

They came to this conclusion after analyzing hundreds of samples collected from Wuhan in January 2020.

In a statement, the World Health Organization looked back to the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, tracing its evolution from a local phenomenon to a global scourge, leading to lockdowns around the world and, ultimately, the development of a successful vaccine.

The organization said: “Five years ago on December 31, 2019, the WHO country office in China obtained a media statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission’s website about cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China. “

“In the weeks, months and years since, Covid-19 has begun to shape our lives and our world,” it continued.

The World Health Organization says it “starts working immediately” as 2020 begins. It recalled how employees activated emergency systems on January 1 and notified the world three days later.

The statement added: “By January 9-12, WHO issued the first comprehensive set of guidance for countries, and on January 13, we convened partners to publish a blueprint for the first laboratory testing of Sars-CoV-2. “

The World Health Organization said it wanted to “pay tribute to the lives changed and lost, acknowledge those suffering from Covid-19 and long-term Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who have made huge sacrifices to care for us, and work towards the recovery from Covid-19 19. Learn to build a healthier tomorrow.”

In May 2023, the World Health Organization announced: Covid-19 no longer represents a “global health emergency”.

Its director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at the time that at least 7 million people had died in the pandemic.

But he added that the true number was “probably” closer to 20 million deaths – almost three times the official estimate.

Since then, the World Health Organization has repeatedly warned against complacency about possible new coronavirus-like diseases in the future.

Dr Ghebreyesus said the next pandemic “could come at any time” and urged the world to prepare.