Prognosis

Covid Origin Study Points to Bats, Animal Hosts as Pathway

  • Authors of report recommend wider search among species
  • Study reiterates lab incident theory is ‘extremely unlikely’
Photographer: Andre Malerba/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The coronavirus probably spread from bats to humans via another animal, according to the long-awaited results of a joint World Health Organization-China study into the origins of Covid-19.

The most productive research would be to look for such an animal link, scientists said, after finding it improbable the virus resulted from a laboratory incident, according to a copy of the report obtained by Bloomberg News before its scheduled release Tuesday. Future studies should be broadened to investigate susceptible animal species in China and elsewhere.