Coronavirus watch: WHO-China joint report says virus likely did not escape Wuhan lab

The theory that the coronavirus pandemic originated from a Chinese lab drew little support from a joint World Health Organization-China study released Tuesday on the origins of the global crisis that has claimed almost 2.8 million lives.

The report backs the previously accepted theory that the virus was most likely transmitted from bats to humans through another animal. The report cites several reasons for all but dismissing that possibility the virus escaped a lab in Wuhan, the sprawling city of 11 million people where the virus was first identified. The report says such accidents are rare and that the labs in Wuhan are well-managed.

Matthew Kavanagh of Georgetown University suggested that firmer conclusions will be difficult unless the Chinese government provides more data.

"In the end, focusing on the future (capacity for proactive detection, better response) may be a more fruitful," Kavanagh tweeted. "We need @WHO  responding to this pandemic, preparing for future, not stuck in US-China confrontation."

It's Tuesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know:

• Some epidemiologists say they're worried another tipping point in new U.S. cases is coming, leading to a fourth significant surge of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. "We're skating on a knife's edge right now," said Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey says the NCAA should stop COVID testing at both the men’s and women’s tournaments ahead of the Final Four: "Wouldn't it be a shame to keep COVID testing and you've got kids that end up testing positive or something and they don't get to play in a Final Four?"
• The University of Connecticut football team cut its spring practices short because of positive COVID-19 test results and subsequent contact tracing protocols, the Hartford Courant reported. The Huskies were one of a small number of FBS teams to opt out of the 2020-21 season.
• England had a glimmer of good news: London had no deaths reported for one day. During a spike in cases during January, more than 200 deaths a day linked to the virus were recorded in the capital.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 30 million COVID-19 cases and more than 550,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 127 million cases and more than 2.7 million deaths. More than 28% of Americans have received at least one vaccine shot, and 15% have received both doses, according to the CDC.

See the numbers in your area here, check out where cases are rising here, and see how many vaccines your state has received here.

– John Bacon, USA TODAY rewrite chief, @realjohnbacon