The video screenshot taken on March 30, 2021 shows Peter K. Ben Embarek, leader of an international team of experts to Wuhan, attending a virtual press conference. He said that conclusions of the report were the results of a consensus between all members of the team, which included 17 foreign experts and 17 Chinese scientists. (Xinhua)

"There is still a lot of work to do," he said, adding that recommendations laid out in the report are expected to be implemented in the coming weeks and months to get a better understanding of the origin of this virus.

Professor Dominic Dwyer from University of Sydney, also a member of the WHO team, said in February that the WHO mission was only phase one of the investigation. "Investigators will also look further afield for data, to investigate evidence the virus was circulating in Europe, for instance, earlier in 2019," he noted.

"Investigators will continue to test wildlife and other animals in the region for signs of the virus," he said. "And we'll continue to learn from our experiences to improve how we investigate the next pandemic."

In response to the suspicion surrounding COVID-19, David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Xinhua in a recent interview that "There's always an attempt by countries to blame another country for something which happens."

"What's important is to deal with the infection when it's there and devote all the attention to that, and then there's a time for research to determine where viruses might come from in the future, and how those risks might be mitigated," the professor added.