Geneva: According to World Health Organisation(WHO), All available evidence to date suggests that the novel coronavirus has a natural animal origin and was not a manipulated or constructed virus.
The novel coronavirus was identified in early January and its genetic sequence shared publicly on January 11-12, the WHO noted. The full genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus from the early human cases and the sequences of many other viruses isolated from human cases from China and all over the world showed that the novel coronavirus has an ecological origin in bat populations, according to the world health body.
Although the intermediate animal host has not been identified, all available evidence indicated the novel coronavirus has a zoonotic source, the WHO said,.To better understand the source of the outbreak in China, a number of investigations are currently underway or planned.
Till Friday morning, the global number of coronavirus cases stood at 2,708,470, with 190,788 deaths.