WHO drops investigation into whether COVID-19 virus leaked from Wuhan lab

WHO drops investigation into whether COVI19 virus leaked from Wuhan lab, calling theory unlikely

Wuhan Institute of Virology has collected virus samples, drawing allegations it may have caused original outbreak

A World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic downplayed the possibility that the virus leaked from a lab near Wuhan, China, during a press conference on Tuesday.

Instead, coronavirus likely spead from an animal to humans, WHO food safety and animal diseases expert Peter Ben Embarek said.

"Our initial findings suggest that the introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific, targeted research," Embarek said.