---
title: "No evidence that Covid-19 came from animals, says former head of China CDC"
description: "LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - There is no evidence that the Covid-causing virus came from animals, the former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "COVID-19"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-04-14-no-evidence-that-covid-19-came-from-animals-says-former-head-of-china-cdc/"
published: "2023-04-14T14:41:52"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 269
---

# No evidence that Covid-19 came from animals, says former head of China CDC

> LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - There is no evidence that the Covid-causing virus came from animals, the former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.

By Reuters · Published 14 April 2023, 16:41 SAST

## Key points
- The origins of Covid-19 remain a mystery, with China accused of thwarting efforts to investigate the source. Data uploaded by Chinese scientists last month showed that multiple animal species were likely conduits of the virus.
- George Gao, the head of China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke at a London summit on preparing for pandemics.
- The origins of Covid-19 remain unknown with criticism that China has thwarted efforts to find out more.
- The World Health Organisation has said all hypotheses for the origins of Covid-19 remain on the table.
- Data from early days of pandemic showed DNA from multiple animal species in environmental samples testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

## Content

George Gao, who was speaking at a London summit on preparing for pandemics, was the head of the agency when Covid-19 first emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019.

"Even now, people think some animals are the host or reservoir," said Gao. "Cut a long story short, there is no evidence which animals (were) where the virus comes (from)."

The origins of the Covid-19 pandemic remain unknown, with criticism that China has [thwarted efforts](https://t.ly/yqeKU) to find out more. The Chinese government has said it has always supported all efforts to investigate the source.

The World Health Organization has said that [all hypotheses](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3694C9&linkedFromStory=true) for the origins of Covid-19 remain on the table, including that the virus is linked to a high-security laboratory for the study of dangerous pathogens in Wuhan.

China denies any such link.

WHO has also said that the [evidence](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2XW34L&linkedFromStory=true) so far points towards the virus coming from animals, likely bats.

Data from the early days of the pandemic was uploaded to a global database by Chinese scientists last month.

It included genetic sequences found in more than 1,000 environmental and animal samples taken in January 2020 at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan.

The data showed that DNA from multiple animal species - including raccoon dogs - was present in environmental samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, suggesting that they were "the most likely conduits" of the disease, according to a team of international researchers.

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London; Additional reporting by Natalie Grover in London and Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra and Mike Harrison)