The WHO's promised international probe into the virus' Chinese origins has been deeply flawed Author of the article: Tristin Hopper Publishing date: Mar 11, 2021  â¢Â March 11, 2021  â¢Â 5 minute read  â¢Â Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus arrive by car at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images Article content It is now precisely one year since the World Health Organization officially characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. In the interim 12 months, the health agency has not deviated much from its initial claim that this disease formed in a wild animal before spontaneously crossing the species barrier into humans.