Published the results of a two-year investigation into the origin of coronavirus

The Lancet’s Coronavirus Science Panel has published a detailed report, “Lessons for the Future from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” answering many, though not all, questions. Since July 2020, the world’s leading experts have been working on recommendations to suppress the epidemic. Along the way, the riddle was solved – whether the virus has an artificial origin or it was created by nature. “MK” found out what conclusions the experts came to.

The new report vaguely clarifies: no version of the origin can be dismissed, but now not only the American “virus developers” are under suspicion, but also the Chinese. At the same time, the commission continues to call for “intensified investigation into the origin of SARS-CoV-2.” Recently, the head of the commission, economist Jeffrey Sachs, made a loud but unsubstantiated claim that the virus was developed in a laboratory. However, he was immediately ridiculed by scientists around the world.

According to the members of the Lancet Commission, WHO, governments and the scientific community should intensify the search for the origin of the virus, because until this issue is put to rest, public confidence in science will remain undermined. “The apparent lack of transparency in the activities of leading scientific agencies and laboratories is a matter of concern and needs to be addressed,” the members of the commission note, hinting again and again that this virus did not just appear out of the blue. What the commission has been doing all this time in terms of investigating the origin of the virus remains a mystery.

However, the main part of the report is not devoted to the origin of the virus, but to the mistakes made during the pandemic and recommendations for their elimination in the future.

As of May 31, 2022, there were 6.9 million deaths worldwide and 17.2 million estimated deaths from COVID-19. “Such a staggering number of deaths is both a profound tragedy and a massive global mistake on many levels. Too many governments have failed to adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency, too many people – often under the influence of misinformation – have neglected and protested basic public health precautions. “, – says a recent publication in the Lancet.

Among the blunders made during the pandemic, the High Commission members cite the lack of timely notification of the initial outbreak of COVID-19; delays in recognizing the airborne route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and in taking steps to slow its spread of the virus; lack of coordination among countries regarding suppression strategies; the failure of governments to examine the evidence and adopt best practices to control the pandemic.

In addition, problems include a lack of global funding for low- and middle-income countries; failure to ensure adequate global supply and equitable distribution of protective equipment, diagnostics, medicines, medical devices and vaccines; lack of timely and systematic data on infections, mortality, virus variants; weak biosecurity compliance in the run-up to the pandemic, which increases the likelihood of a lab-related outbreak, and a failure to combat systematic misinformation.

The report of the Commission, which is addressed to UN member states, G20 and G7 countries, lists the measures that need to be taken to prevent the next pandemic and mitigate the consequences of the current one as much as possible. In particular, according to the commission, countries should implement a “vaccination plus” control strategy that includes mass immunization; availability and low cost of testing; treatment of new infections, rehabilitation and social support for people with a long course of COVID; as well as the use of masks, promotion of safe workplaces, economic and social support for self-isolation.

For the future, it is necessary to create powerful monitoring and coordinated surveillance systems around the world to assess the risks of new waves of COVID-19. It is specifically stipulated that China, the US, the EU, India, the Russian Federation “should put aside their geopolitical rivalries and work together to end this pandemic, prepare for the next and other global crises. Military conflicts and social upheavals can increase the number of cases COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks and affect surveillance systems, thereby exacerbating humanitarian crises.”

Another suggestion is to create some kind of global agreement on the pandemic, which the world should be guided by next time, so as not to repeat the mistakes made. Among other things, it is proposed that WHO be empowered to investigate on the ground any events that could constitute a new global public health emergency. It is also proposed to approve new rules for moving around the world in the context of a global pandemic.

WHO, having read the report, has already rushed to publish a response to it on its official website. According to the organization, the document contains a number of “key omissions and misinterpretations.” The pandemic is not over yet, although its end is near, according to the WHO, and they continue to blow on the water. So, the other day, the financial intermediation fund for the prevention of pandemics was officially launched; an international WHO document on pandemic preparedness and response, similar to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is being developed. WHO mentions that it continues to actively search for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 – on this occasion, even an international Scientific Advisory Group on the origin of new pathogens has been created.

“Why will the COVID-19 pandemic continue? The finish line is closer than ever, but it is likely that this is just a” mirage in the desert “- it seems to us that it is close,” says Alexander Solovyov, head of laboratory projects at MMC MEDMA. – Report of the Lanceta Commission showed a massive global failure on several levels The world was not prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic We have grown in knowledge over the years of the pandemic and now the world has reliable tools to end the pandemic These tools are outlined in both WHO policy briefs and expert advice Commission “Lancet. But has the world become a better place in the last 2 years? Is the world ready for urgent global cooperation?”