@ianbirrell @WHO @DrTedros @ianbirrell note that the WHO team had no need at all to drop the lab line.
The logical thing to do would have been for them just to state their (faulty) opinion that it was very unlikely and leave it at that.

They are asked to investigate, not to make these decisions.

@ianbirrell @WHO @DrTedros But obviously that was not good enough for China. China wanted the line to be closed before the WHO team left the country.

Which now put the WHO in a mighty bind, as it is so easy to pick up holes in their reasoning, from the absurd first-trust-China premiss to

@ianbirrell @WHO @DrTedros to
- the lack of consideration of a potential lab escape without lab infection via wastes,
- or of an infection in a cave during a sampling trip

all of which would typically NOT be associated to a sequenced virus and would NOT be linked to an infection at the lab itself anyway!

@ianbirrell @WHO @DrTedros With some many holes in its hull, the WHO is now playing with its future.

Will be interesting to see whether they take weeks, months or more to release their report.

China will likely try to have the WHO not release a full report, as it would fully expose the weaknesses.