The taskforce investigating the source of the Covid outbreak in the ground zero city of Wuhan claim a leak from a laboratory was 'extremely unlikely.'
The World Health Organisation study on the origins of coronavirus now says the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, Reuters reports.
The full report is not expected to be published until at least Tuesday but leaked findings say that three labs in Wuhan working with coronaviruses were 'well-managed.'
It is further reported that the facilities had 'high-quality biosafety levels', and there had been no reports of similar illnesses among staff during the months before the pandemic hit.
Employees had also not tested positive for Covid in subsequent blood screening for antibodies, the report said.
"In view of the above, a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely," it said.
Many questions remain unanswered about the virus that sparked the pandemic and the team has now proposed further research in bats and pangolins in China as well as in southeast Asia.
Surveys of other wild animals - including civets, mink and ferrets - known to be infected by the virus were also recommended.
Many early human cases were associated with the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, which also sold wildlife, "but a similar number of cases were associated with other markets and some were not associated with any market", the report said.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus acknowledged receipt of the report but declined to give details, telling a Geneva news briefing: "All hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies."
The United States expects the WHO-led investigation to require further study of the virus, perhaps including a return visit to China, a senior US official told reporters last week.
The probe had previously been plagued by delays with concerns over access and bickering between Beijing and the US.
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