Last 2019, a new deadly virus originated from the city of Wuhan in China. China immediately claimed that the virus is of natural origin, possibly originated from bats, and then transmitted via a carrier animal to the wet market of Wuhan. Incidentally, a biosafety level 4 virus research laboratory, which is the biggest in China and entire Asia, is located in Wuhan. This speculates the notion of whether the virus has indeed come from nature or it is human-made.
Early 2021, the USA claimed, based on newly obtained previously undisclosed information, that several virologists of Wuhan Institute of Virology had fallen sick in autumn 2019 with seasonal flu illness with similar symptoms to Covid-19. This may be an indication that Covid-19 first originated from that lab and then spread elsewhere. US had also cited several whistle-blowing incidents in the past where it is claimed that a deadly virus similar to SARS (pandemic of 2003) was manufactured at Wuhan Institute of Virology. However, China has repeatedly rejected these claims and has maintained that Sars-Cov-2 (known today as Covid-19) is of natural origin. China also dismissed the fact that any of the Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers were infected by any disease.
For its part, China has also claimed that there were incidents of virus outbreaks in various places in the USA and Italy that pre-date the origin of the virus in Wuhan. It has been cited that the virus may have entered its boundary via frozen foods or packaging. Incidentally, the virus is believed to have originated from the Wuhan wet market, where there are regular supplies of frozen foods. One such example may be a short-lived outbreak in Beijing that has a different strain than the Wuhan strain and a similar strain to that in the USA or Europe. The Beijing outbreak is claimed to have originated from imported frozen fish and meat that are infected by the virus.
WHO came forward and published a report on 31st March 2021 regarding the origins of Sars-Cov-2. It said that markets selling animals, alive or dead, are the most probable source of origin of Sars-Cov-2. Sars-Cov-2 is one of the millions of coronaviruses found in bats that have entered into an intermediate animal which was sold at Huanan wet market in Wuhan. Scientists say that though conclusions make sense, they failed to satisfy those who believed that Covid-19 (Sars-Cov-2) originated from the Wuhan lab.
Some of the unanswered questions were what is the intermediate animal between the bat and the humans, when did the first Covid-19 case occur, why were the other theories, such as the US and China claims rejected. Scientists have concluded that even after WHO’s report, research must seek evidence in all possible conclusions. Research is still on, producing more and more puzzling facts day by day.
Recent claims seem too far-fetched by any average person, but there are growing speculations that the Chinese invented the virus to spread worldwide and make substantial economic gains. Brazil’s president has termed the outbreak of Sars-Cov-2 as pre-planned biological warfare by China for financial gains. The US has gone one step further, saying that the People’s Liberation Army of China predicted that the next world war would be fought with bioweapons. It is to be noted that the USA and Brazil are one of the worst affected countries by Covid-19. Though hard to believe, both Brazil and the US have claimed to have concrete evidence to prove their claims.
There is evidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was researching widely on SARS-like viruses that can be used to create a pandemic situation in other countries. Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that Sars-Cov-2 was an accidental leakage of the many bioweapons produced at the Biosafety Level 4 laboratory. Sars-Cov-2 was prepared as a bioweapon after seeing the effects of SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2009 in various other countries that also originated in China.
In conclusion, it can be drawn that though many countries are blaming China for producing a worldwide pandemic, it also undermines that bioweapons, if ever used, will be the biggest threat to humankind and the human race and should never be used. Out of control of Sars-Cov-2 makes us believe that a war fought with bioweapons may affect the weapon host itself. Going by the WHO’s conclusion of the natural origin of Sars-Cov-2, it’s time the whole world should sit together and find a lasting solution to end the Covid-19 pandemic once and for all.
Written by – Himadri Paul