[Is]
China responsible [for our present pandemic]?
Wuhan
lab experimented on bats from cave where coronavirus started Wuhan's
Institute of Virology carried out coronavirus
experiments on bats which were captured in Yunnan, the same place where
the deadly COVID-19 virus came from, sparking fresh theories that the
laboratory is the epicentre of the virus and not the market.
The coronavirus
outbreak started in China at the end of 2019 and since then has
claimed the lives of more than 108,000 people across the globe. The
Chinese science lab in Wuhan which has been doing experiments on
coronavirus was given £3 million from the US government. The Wuhan
Institute of Virology is a level four biosafety lab, which is the
highest level and precautions must be taken to stop diseases being
transmitted to humans.
This comes as senior
Government sources in the UK have revealed an accident at the Wuhan
laboratory could be how the horrifying disease started.
One possibility is
that scientists at the research centre could have become infected
after being sprayed with blood containing the virus and then passed
it on.
The current
hypotheses is that the virus was transmitted to humans from a live
animal market in Wuhan.
However, these Yunnan
caves are 1,000 miles away from the Chinese city and studies have
traced the COVID-19 genome there.
A UK government
source has told the Mail on Sunday that an accident at the
laboratory is “no longer being discounted”.
According to The Mail
on Sunday, the scientists published research in November 2017 under
the heading: "Discovery of a rich gene pool of bat SARS-related
coronaviruses provides new insights into the origin of SARS
coronavirus.”
According to the
paper, the research was: "Bats in a cave in Yunnan, China were
captured and sampled for coronaviruses used for lab experiments.
"All sampling
procedures were performed by veterinarians with approval from the
Animal Ethics Committee of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
"Bat samplings
were conducted ten times from April 2011 to October 2015 at
different seasons in their natural habitat at a single location
(cave) in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Bats were trapped and
faecal swab samples were collected."
Many scientists agree
the virus is likely to have come from bats but could have passed
through another animal before affecting humans.
With regards to US
cash being used for the research, US Congressman Matt Gaetz said:
“I’m disgusted to learn that for years the US government has
been funding dangerous and cruel animal experiments at the Wuhan
Institute, which may have contributed to the global spread of
coronavirus, and research at other labs in China that have virtually
no oversight from US authorities.”
In response to the
claims, the Chinese Embassy has described the speculation as “hasty
and reckless allegations”.
They said: ”The
origin of a virus is a complicated, scientific issue. It should be
left to scientists and doctors to find out through studies and
research.
“Hasty and reckless
allegations, such as naming China as the origin in an attempt to
shift the blame, before any scientific conclusion is reached, is
totally irresponsible and will definitely do harm to international
co-operation at this critical time.
“Covid-19 is a
global challenge. The right thing to do for every responsible
stakeholder, including the media, is to work together and leave no
place for rumors or prejudice.”
