China Claims Covid-19 Virus May Come from Humans
- Pixabay/mattthewafflecat
VIVA – A scientist from China claims Covid-19 may come from humans, not from animals as in previous research.
Tong Yigang from Beijing University of Chemical Technology explained that the genetic sequence of a virus sample taken from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, considered ground zero of the pandemic, was "almost identical" to that of a patient infected with the coronavirus.
This, according to him, suggests that Covid-19 may have originated from humans. While speaking at a press conference held by the State Council of China regarding research into the origin of Covid-19.
He said more than 1,300 DNA samples were collected from animals and the environment in the market between January 2020 and March 2020, and researchers had isolated three virus strains from environmental samples.
He also said there is not yet enough evidence to support the latest research stating that raccoon dogs are the origin of the Covid-19 virus.
Pandemi Covid-19.
- times of india
Speaking at the same event, a researcher from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zhou Lei, called for global scientific collaboration to trace the origin of the virus. Zhou said that the location where Covid-19 was first discovered is not necessarily where the virus originated.
China has been heavily criticized in the past for obstructing international investigations into the origins of the Covid virus.
Earlier this week the World Health Organization (WHO) said it still did not have key data from China about the start of the outbreak. However, China has repeatedly stated that it has been transparent and cooperative with WHO.
The debate around the origins of the virus resurfaced recently following an assessment last month by the US Department of Energy that said the Covid virus was most likely the result of an accident from a laboratory, on Saturday, Lei refuted the lab leak theory, saying it was "highly unlikely".
As a throwback, the first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic were reported in Wuhan City of China, in December 2019, and later spread across the world. It was declared a global pandemic and claimed millions of lives.
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