In a final assessment delivered in mid‑2025, the World Health Organization’s expert group declared that the origin of COVID‑19 remains officially unconfirmed. After years of scientific investigation, including international efforts, key data—such as early virus genetic sequences, information about related animals sold in Wuhan markets, and details from laboratories—remains inaccessible.
The lead hypothesis continues to be zoonotic spillover, meaning the virus likely jumped from bats to humans, possibly through an intermediary animal. However, because essential evidence is missing, the panel emphasized it cannot rule out a laboratory accident, describing that possibility as speculative under the current circumstances.
WHO leadership has called for renewed global cooperation, labeling the question of how the pandemic started a “moral imperative.” Understanding the precise origins of SARS‑CoV‑2 is seen as crucial to preventing future global health crises.
While some U.S. intelligence agencies have privately leaned toward a lab-based explanation (with only low confidence), consensus remains elusive. In the absence of transparent, shared data—especially from China—experts say the true origins of COVID‑19 may never be definitively determined.