For the sake of humanity don't pressure the Chinese too much over origins of COVID-19

As scientists with relevant expertise, we agree with the WHO director-general, the United States and 13 other countries, and the European Union that greater clarity about the origins of this pandemic is necessary and feasible to achieve. We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data. A proper investigation should be transparent, objective, data-driven, inclusive of broad expertise, subject to independent oversight, and responsibly managed to minimize the impact of conflicts of interest. Public health agencies and research laboratories alike need to open their records to the public. Investigators should document the veracity and provenance of data from which analyses are conducted and conclusions drawn, so that analyses are reproducible by independent experts.

This smacks of diplomatic language coming from the eighteen eminent biologists. It nevertheless indicates that the WHO investigation was doomed to fail before it even began. The UN health agency had been sent on a "mission impossible". The indispensable preliminary groundwork on the heavy, overlying moral and political aspects of the pandemic had been totally neglected.

That crucial preliminary groundwork was not a task for the WHO to undertake. It was beyond its role as the UN's international health agency. It was a matter that should have been undertaken by the main body of the UN itself (perhaps with input from another of its agencies, the International Court of Justice) and subsequently submitted to the 193 members of the UN General Assembly (plus the Holy See and Palestine as observer states) for approval at its annual meeting in September.

The 76^th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) is due to open on Tuesday, 14 September 2021. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be Tuesday, 21 September.

In the meantime, President Biden has launched an American investigation into the origin of the Coronavirus, but it is difficult to imagine his administration succeeding where the Who investigation failed. Whatever findings the Biden administration may come up with will necessarily be heavily tainted with political overtones.

In my humble opinion, it can only be counterproductive and provoke the fury of the Chinese authorities who will most likely interpret it as an act of arrogance and contempt of China and the Chinese people. No need to insist. It will not get us anywhere.

Despite the predictable fury and protestations of the Chinese authorities, for the sake of humanity, it is imperative that we succeed in identifying the origin of the virus and the circumstances of its propagation if we hope to have any chance at all of avoiding further outbreaks of devastating pandemics coming out of China or any other sovereign state in the world.

We need to take stock of the situation and rethink our strategy. A little diplomacy would not do any harm either.