Australian PM Morrison: virus origin likely wildlife wet market

Australia's prime minister said again Tuesday that it is likely the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese wildlife wet market, despite U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advocating a theory that it began in a laboratory.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra he had written to the Group of 20 government leaders calling for a "proper assessment" of the origins of and government responses to the pandemic of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Pompeo, who has backed Australia's call for an independent review, told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that there is "enormous evidence" that the virus began in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The institute, which is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from a market that is considered a possible source of the virus

Asked about the lab theory, Morrison told reporters Australia works closely with the United States and cannot rule out potential origins. But he said a wet market was “most likely” the origin of the pandemic.

China has dismissed calls for an international inquiry independent of the World Health Organization and has accused Australia of parroting the United States.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.