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At this time, there are very few scientists who doubt the natural origin of the new coronavirus. Analysis of the genomes of multiple samples of the virus gathered sufficient evidence of its natural origin in wildlife, probably from bats. The studies thus overturned the conspiracy theory that emerged at the beginning of the epidemic on a biological weapon manufactured in the laboratory. But there is a new version that began to circulate in the media and that started a new discussion in the scientific community. Could SARS-CoV-2 be a naturally occurring virus that was being studied and “accidentally” escaped from a laboratory facility in Wuhan, China?
Last Wednesday, Fox News television correspondent questioned United States President Donald Trump about an investigation into security breaches at a research laboratory in Wuhan. The well-known “trust” relationship between the Fox channel and Trump raises inevitable suspicions about the “innocent” question. At the time, Donald Trump replied that he would not speak about it. But addressing the issue was enough to resurrect the issue of China’s “guilt” at the origin of this coronavirus. The topic returned to political debate and the discussion was rekindled in the scientific community.
In an opinion piece published April 14 in the newspaper. Washington Post, commentator Josh Rogins (expert in foreign policy and national security) writes that, two years before this pandemic, some representatives of the US embassy. USA They visited several Chinese research facilities in Wuhan City and sent two official warnings to Washington about inadequate security in one of the laboratories. It was public knowledge that the laboratory investigated the coronaviruses identified in the bats.
That said, it may seem like a coincidence too big to ignore. However, several researchers have already publicly explained what may be important information: research on the coronavirus and more precisely on viruses that jump from bats to humans is an activity that has been promoted in China, especially after the problem with SARS. in 2002 (which also had bats as a natural source). On the other hand, it is also known that these types of studies and experiences carry risks and that representatives of the United States Embassy will have warned about security violations.
But that is not enough to demonstrate that the new coronavirus that has now become a pandemic in the world has been studied in Wuhan, much less that it left the laboratory by accident. “There is no evidence of a laboratory leak,” wrote Andrew Rambaut, a microbiology expert at the University of Edinburgh, in a email cited in another article Washington Post on the same topic “The virus is like a virus that we expect to see in populations of wild bats; Similar viruses have jumped from animals to humans in the past, so I see no reason to speculate more on that, “adds the expert who wrote one of the articles on the virus’s natural origin, published in the journal. Natural medicine on March 17.
In another news story published by the BBC about this new rumor, the question of the complaint about the security flaws detected in the laboratory in Wuhan is explored. After all, what flaws were these? “The answer is that we do not know what the information published by the Washington Post“The BBC says in an article that quotes Filippa Lentzos, a biosafety expert at King’s College London, UK. It is that, they argue, there are several types of potential security flaws in research facilities of this type. and that, according to the scientist, may include questions such as “who has access to the laboratory, the lack of training and education for scientists and technicians.” Recordkeeping procedures, on-site signage, pathogen inventory lists, accident reports, emergency procedures. “
On the subject of accidents in this area of research, the BBC article recalls two not-too-distant examples that took place in the United States. “Accidents do happen. In 2014, forgotten smallpox bottles were found in a cardboard box at a research center near Washington. In 2015, the US Army USA He accidentally sent live samples of anthrax instead of dead spores to nine laboratories across the country and to a military base in South Korea, “recalls the BBC.
CNN also reported that the United States government is studying the possibility that the new coronavirus has spread to the community from a Chinese laboratory and not from a market, according to several sources linked to this process that they warn: however, it is premature to make conclusions.
Natural origin
Doubts about the origin of this new coronavirus arose early in the pandemic. In January, the conspiracy theory that hypothesized that this virus was manufactured in a laboratory as a biological weapon gained strength (especially on social media). This theory has been repeatedly criticized and refuted by several scientific articles, which concluded that the virus had a natural origin and that it had leaped from an animal to humans, most likely from bats. “By comparing available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly conclude that SARS-CoV-2 originated from natural processes,” said, for example, Kristian Andersen, geneticist at Scripps Research in California, in statements to the BBC.
In an article published in the magazine. The lancetIn February, a group of scientists signed a statement in which they strongly condemned “conspiracy theories, suggesting that covid-19 has no natural origin.” “Scientists from several countries published and analyzed causal agent genomes (SARS-CoV-2) and overwhelmingly concluded that this coronavirus originated in nature, like many other emerging pathogens. This is supported by a letter from the presidents of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in the United States and by the scientific communities they represent. The conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumors and prejudices that compromise our global collaboration in the fight against this virus, “the researchers defend.
However, the new question about an accidental escape raises another type of doubt that may coexist with this conclusion that we are dealing with a natural virus. Could this natural virus be investigated in the lab and accidentally jump out of the facility and hit the community? The truth is that, to date, there is no concrete evidence that directly links the research activity of the laboratories in Wuhan with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
