China calls on WHO to address US labs on possible virus leak

The World Health Organization (WHO) needs to address the possibility that the coronavirus leaked from a US military laboratory or another overseas facility, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a briefing on Wednesday, TASS reported.

"As for the possibility that the virus leaked after a lab incident, members of the expert group said that they would inspect laboratories all over the world if the need arises. As you know, the Wuhan labs have already been inspected. But when Fort Detrick will open its doors to experts?" she said.

"I would like to know why there aren’t any reports about the Fort Detrick lab in foreign media. News about it came in June 2019 but nothing has been heard of it since then… Why are you silent?" the Chinese diplomat added.

According to Hua Chunying, the Chinese authorities are ready to continue cooperation with the WHO in order to determine the origin of the virus. "It is not an investigation but scientific research. It should not be limited to some region of the world," the diplomat added.

The US Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, located at Fort Detrick, Maryland, is administered by the US Department of Defense and conducts biomedical research, particularly related to infectious diseases.