Coronavirus origin: Biologists debunk China's Wuhan animal market story

Coronavirus

Coronavirus

China’s back on the rope as biologists debunk origin of Coronavirus

Hours after China admitted it destroyed coronavirus samples in some ‘unauthorised labs’, some biologists have debunked claims that the pandemic originated from a wild animal market in Wuhan last December.

A landmark scientific study by specialist biologists suggests that the virus was taken into the market by someone already carrying the disease.

They also say they were ‘surprised’ to find the virus was ‘already pre-adapted to human transmission’, contrasting it to another coronavirus that evolved rapidly as it spread around the planet in a previous epidemic.

The explosive claims, published by Mail on Sunday, come as Beijing thwarted global efforts to establish the source of the virus.

The news will fuel concerns over China’s alleged cover-up since the disease emerged last year in the central Chinese city.

The new research is clear in its finding. ‘The publicly available genetic data does not point to cross-species transmission of the virus at the market,’ said Alina Chan, a molecular biologist, and Shing Zhan, an evolutionary biologist.

Their paper insists all routes for ‘zoonotic’ (animal to human) transmission – in this case from bats – must be examined.

It says: ‘The possibility that a non-genetically engineered precursor could have adapted to humans while being studied in a laboratory should be considered.’

The revelations add to the growing clamour for an international inquiry into the outbreak.

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‘We need to get to the bottom of many things in relation to Covid-19,’ said Tory MP Bob Seely, a member of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

‘We need to know where this virus began, why we were told at one time there was no human transmission, and what was the role of the Chinese Communist Party.’

Beijing health authorities have insisted the virus almost certainly came from an animal in Huanan market in Wuhan.

They said it was ‘only a matter of time’ before they identified the crossover species behind transmission from bats to humans.

The World Health Organisation quickly backed its claims. ‘The evidence is highly suggestive that the outbreak is associated with exposures in one seafood market in Wuhan,’ it said in a statement.

Officials closed the market the day after notifying the WHO and sent in teams with strong disinfectants.

Samples from animals were taken but, four months later, the results have not been shared with foreign scientists. The actions led to claims that they were deliberately wiping away crucial traces.

‘The crime scene was completely gone,’ said Guan Yi, a University of Hong Kong expert. ‘How can we solve a case without evidence?’

Read more in Mail on Sunday

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