FILE PHOTO: This undated transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. NIAID-RML/Handout via REUTERS.
GENEVA — The United States called on Thursday for the World Health Organization (WHO) to carry out a second phase of its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, with independent experts given full access to original data and samples in China.
President Joe Biden ordered aides to find answers to the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19, saying on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence agencies are pursuing rival theories potentially including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China.
“It is critical that China provides independent experts full access to complete, original data and samples relevant to understanding the source of the virus and the early stages of the pandemic,” the U.S. mission to the U.N. in Geneva said in a statement.