The World Health Organization’s report on Covid-19’s origins dances around the likely timing of the first outbreak.
The World Health Organization released its joint report on the origins of Covid-19 on Tuesday, but historians of science will study it for decades—if for no other reason than the obvious discomfort of its 34-author team. Even before the report’s publication, the origins of the virus were a matter of dispute among current and former political and public health figures. In time, these controversies will be lost to history. What will remain is the truth: the original Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan occurred well before the disease rose to international awareness and lockdowns began—most likely in October 2019.
