Comment by WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)

Despite a large number and breadth of research studies conducted to date, the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and its intermediate hosts is still under investigation. To date, two main hypotheses on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 remain: 1) the virus originated from a zoonotic source, with spillover to humans directly from wild animals, an intermediate host or contaminated food source or 2) the virus infected humans through a laboratory breach in biosecurity and biosafety and spread further into the human population through human-to-human transmission.