The virus, despite killing more than 3.4 million people worldwide, still remains a mystery to many of us all across the world.
And one of the most pressing queries is: where did it come from?
But, unless we’re digging through science journals (which we’re not) or have access to classified information (which we don’t), chances are, we don’t know anything at all.
And with tense Cold War-ish relations between the US and China over the handling of this pandemic (which if you think about it, is another Cold War since your body is battling against cold-like symptoms… haha), you can bet that we might not know the answer anytime soon.
US Investigating Lab Report Of Wuhan Researchers Falling Ill Before Pandemic Outbreak
According to Reuters via The Straits Times, American intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first cases of COVID-19 were reported.
Apparently, a still-classified report claimed that three Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) researchers became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care but it was unclear whether these researchers were hospitalised or what their symptoms were.
However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a news briefing on Monday (24 May) that there was not enough information to draw a conclusion about the origins of the coronavirus.
“We need data. We need an independent investigation. And that’s exactly what we’ve been calling for,” she added.
The US Government also continued to caution that there is still no proof the disease originated at the lab.
The WSJ Report
Why the sudden uproar? On Sunday (23 May), the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) decision-making body, The Wall Street Journal had published an article with information on the three researchers.
According to this article, the newspaper said that the classified report may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the virus could have escaped from the laboratory. It contains fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses and their hospital visits
However, The Wall Street Journal acknowledged that there was a range of opinions on the strength of the report’s supporting evidence with regard to the theory of a lab leak.
A US National Security Council spokesperson had no comment on this report but said the Biden administration continued to have “serious questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the People’s Republic of China”.
“We’re not going to make pronouncements that prejudge an ongoing WHO study into the source of Sars-CoV-2, but we’ve been clear that sound and technically credible theories should be thoroughly evaluated by international experts,” she said.
Earlier this year, an investigation team was sent to Wuhan to attempt to piece together the origins of the virus outbreak, though a viral leak from the lab was ruled as unlikely.
China Refutes Claims
On Monday (24 May), China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian refuted the claims of the report, saying that, “[t]he report that you mentioned about three people getting sick, that is not true.”
He added that the US has been “hyping” up theories of the lab leak and questioned whether they truly cared about the origins of the virus or were “trying to divert attention”.
Mr Zhao also pointed to suspicious US military bases and biolabs, turning the tables on US conspiracy theories.
Well, considering their lack of data and refusal to provide more information, one wonders if such a tactic works for them.
Moreover, even as the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) investigation team had thought of a lab leak in China to be “unlikely”, scientists are now asking for more data to support the claim.
WHO’s director-general, Mr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said following the probe that China did not adequately analyse the possibility of a lab accident, he is ready to deploy additional resources for a more thorough investigation.
Feature Image: MIND AND I / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purposes only)
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