At the beginning of the pandemic, the origins of COVID-19 has been widely discussed. There are two theories that scientists have been debating for nearly two years since the pandemic began: the Wuhan lab leak theory and the zoonotic origins.
Although some scientists recently called on focusing on the latter, the UK Parliament investigation showed evidence on the Wuhan lab leak theory. The report suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have been a genetically engineered man-made virus accidentally leaked and infected humans.
Wuhan Lab Leak More Likely Than Not
Medium reported that Dr. Alina Chan, a Canadian molecular biologist specializing in gene therapy and cell engineering, told cross-party members of the Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday, December 15, during a session on scientific research that COVID-19 is caused by a unique feature of the furin cleavage of the novel coronavirus.
She made the claims when giving evidence to the Science and Technology Select committee of the UK Parliament. She explained that the furin cleavage site had been linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which suggests that the lab origin of the virus is more likely than not.
"Right now it's not safe for people who know about the origin of the pandemic to come forward. But we live in an era where there is so much information being stored that it will eventually come out," Dr. Chan said as quoted by the news outlet.
She noted that some top virologists are investigating the genetically engineered origin of the virus and that it underwent some modifications from the first SARS virus that occurred in 2003. She pointed out that the unique feature of the furin cleavage site has made the virus cause the current pandemic
Dr. Chan added that scientists from EcoHealth and Wuhan Institute of Virology said in 2018 that they were developing a pipeline that will insert novel furin cleavage sites, bragging that they could someday put a horn on horses and create a unicorn.
According to Wales Online, Viscount Ridley has agreed to this theory. As a co-author of the book "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19," the Lord told MPs that it is important to find out the origins of the virus to prevent the next pandemic. He said that governments should know whether to tighten up work in laboratories or tighten up wildlife market regulations.
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How Credible is the Lab Leak Theory?
The lab-leak theory was widely discussed a few months after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 had become a pandemic. However, it was widely dismissed at that time because of lack of evidence and was classified as a conspiracy theory with a racist undertone, the Business Standard reported.
In March 2020, a statement in support of China was published in the journal The Lancet that cautioned against unfounded speculations about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Surveys showed that about 30% of Americans believe the theory at some point despite evidence that the virus does not have telltale traits of genetic engineering.
The theory, later on, becomes highly questionable and entangled with other contradictory theories, such as it was caused by 5G radiation or that Bill Gates is only using the vaccines to implant microchips on people.
RELATED ARTICLE: UK Fears Coronavirus Might Have Actually Been Leaked From a China Lab
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