Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed, says media report

The newspaper said the report may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory.

Three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019, months before China disclosed the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report. The newspaper said the report — which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits — may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory. The report came on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organisations decision-making body, which is expected to’discuss the next phase of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.