The origins of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) which has left around 3.5 million dead and more than 168 million affected around the world remains a mystery. ‘What is the origin of the virus that has ravaged the world’ remains a widely debated topic, with some scientists and politicians maintaining that the possibility of a lab leak of the deadly virus exists.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is near the outbreak's known epicenter of Huanan Seafood Market in central China’s Wuhan city, where the virus first emerged in late 2019 and became a pandemic.

In the past few days, the theory that the virus emerged from the WIV in China, which was once dismissed, has suddenly gained steam with US President Joe Biden ordering a review of Covid-19 origins.

The move by the US President resulted in a strong pushback from China. China has accused the US of "spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation such as a laboratory leak" while asking Joe Biden to open its own virology facilities to scrutiny.

A noted British science writer, editor and author claimed that researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology were doing gain-of-function experiments designed to make coronaviruses infect human cells and humanised mice, and this is exactly the kind of experiment from which a Covid-19-like virus could have emerged.

In an article titled ‘The origin of Covid: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan’ published in the prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists early this month, Nicholas Wade raised several questions on the origin of the novel coronavirus.

Dr Li-Meng Yan a Chinese Virologist has yet again on record declared that the Covid-19 virus indeed emerged from China and was intentionally leaked by the Chinese Communist Party as a ‘bio-weapon’. In an exclusive interview to the News18 on the USA’s attempt to “redouble” their efforts in investigating the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Virologist expressed her support for the investigations.

Agreeing to provide scientific evidence and intelligence, the virologist said that a visit to Wuhan will also strengthen the investigations as a lot of secrets have been suppressed and destroyed by the Chinese government. She also urged the investigating teams to visit the labs in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Talking about holding China accountable for the misdeed, Dr Li-Meng Yan revealed that the lab leak was not accidental but let out on purpose to do a small trial on the community which went out of control. What could have been contained locally, was let out across the globe intentionally by the Chinese government, informed the virologist.

Dr Li-Meng Yan while talking about holding China responsible for the pandemic informed that China suppressed vital information and misled the world for months leading to a global pandemic. The country still continues to spread misinformation to hide its misdeeds concluded the Chinese virologist. 

Ending the interaction, Dr Yan informed that China is now bullying nations to buy its cheap vaccines. 

Novel Coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab

A new study published by British Professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian scientist Dr. Birger Sørensen says that the novel Coronavirus was created by Chinese scientists in a lab and then reverse-engineered to give the impression that it evolved naturally from bats.

The authors of the paper said that they have had evidence of reverse-engineering for a year but were ignored by major journals and other academics.

In line with what Dr Yan revealed, Sørensen, a virologist and a chair at Immunor, a pharmaceutical company also informed that the Chinese government in fact indulged in ‘deliberate destruction, concealment or contamination of data’.

Most scientists in China who spoke out about the bio-weapon have been silenced or disappeared said the report. 

Joe Biden asks to ‘double’ the efforts

US President Joe Biden has ordered the US intelligence agencies to “redouble” their investigative efforts to trace the emergence of the fatal Covid-19 pandemic and furbish a report in 90 days. This comes amid the growing controversy about the virus leak from the Wuhan lab being deliberate. 

Biden said in a statement on Wednesday said, “I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days.”

“I have also asked that this effort include work by our National Labs and other agencies of our government to augment the Intelligence Community’s efforts. And I have asked the Intelligence Community to keep Congress fully apprised of its work,” he added. 

References:

OpIndia