The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that all available evidence suggests the novel coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory, reports Reuters.

“All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed in a lab or somewhere else,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva news briefing. “It is probable, likely, that the virus is of animal origin.”

It was not clear, Chaib added, how the virus had jumped the species barrier to humans but there had “certainly” been an intermediate animal host. “It most likely has its ecological reservoir in bats but how the virus came from bats to humans is still to be seen and discovered.”

Chaib, asked about the impact of Trump’s decision last week to suspend funding to the U.N. agency over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said: “We are still assessing the situation about the announcement by President Trump ...and we will assess the situation and we will work with our partners to fill any gaps.”