In an article by CNN, the United States government is ‘looking into the possibility’ that COVID-19 has originated in a Chinese laboratory and not in a market in Wuhan, as originally reported. However, in the article, multiple sources say that the speculation is still premature for any conclusion. Read more: US explores possibility that coronavirus started in Chinese lab, not a market, an article by CNN.
Moreover, United States President Donald Trump continues to ‘fan the flames’ of the theory. The president has supported a Fox News’ report that ‘multiple sources’ in the American government believes that the virus, a bat-to-human transmission, started in a virology lab in Wuhan.
“There is increasing confidence that COVID-19 likely originated in a Wuhan laboratory not as a bioweapon, but as part of China’s effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States, multiple sources who have been briefed on the details of early actions by China’s government and seen relevant materials tell Fox News,” an excerpt from an article by Fox News. Read more: Sources believe coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab as part of China’s efforts to compete with US.
“Documents detail early efforts by doctors at the lab and early efforts at containment. The Wuhan wet market initially identified as a possible point of origin never sold bats, and the sources tell Fox News that blaming the wet market was an effort by China to deflect blame from the laboratory, along with the country’s propaganda efforts targeting the U.S. and Italy,” continues the article.
In an article by The Inquirer (Lifestyle), it reveals that an apparent ‘research paper’ by Chinese scientists shows COVID-19 came from a Wuhan biolab. The article added that the research paper had been censored by community authorities and pulled out of online publication, according to American China expert and author Steven Mosher (In an article by The Inquirer). Read more: Research paper by Chinese scientists shows COVID-19 came from Wuhan biolab.
The research paper is titled ‘The Possible Origins of the 2019-n-COV Coronavirus’ and was written by Botao Xiao and Lei Xiao from the South China University of Technology. The paper confirms that the virus came from an animal ‘intermediate horeshoe bats’. Authorities claim that the bats are being sold at the Wuhan market, thus the viral spread.
However, according to Mosher in an article on LifeSite News, the researchers revealed that the virus could not have come from the Wuhan market as no species of the bat can be found within 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Wuhan.
“First, they point out there are no known colonies of this species of bat within 90 kilometers—that’s 56 miles—of Wuhan. Second, they diligently interviewed 59 people with connections to Wuhan and each and everyone confirmed there were no [horseshoe bats] being sold there. We screened the area around the seafood market and identified two laboratories conducting research on bat coronavirus,” the researchers said. “Within 280 meters from the market, there was the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (WHCDC). WHCDC hosted animals in laboratories for research purposes, one of which was specialized in pathogens collection and identification,” states Mosher, as published in the same Inquirer article.
Sources:
- US explores possibility that coronavirus started in Chinese lab, not a market – CNN
- Sources believe coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab as part of China’s efforts to compete with US – Fox News
- Research paper by Chinese scientists shows COVID-19 came from Wuhan biolab – Inquirer
