The Al Arabiya website stated that, despite more than 4 years having passed since the emergence of the Corona virus, the origin and separation of the virus is still a matter of discussion among scientists, amid multiple theories that talked about its transmission from the Wuhan fish market or its leakage from a research laboratory.
However, a surprising statement was made by a well-known professor during a hearing at the United Nations in which she suggested that the epidemic had begun by scientists, and that it had resulted from an incident that had occurred during research.
The statement was made by Dr Philippa Lentzos, Associate Professor in Science and International Security at King’s College London, at the launch of a report by the Independent Task Force on Pandemic Risk Research, which calls for better regulations on science that puts large numbers of people at risk.
Speaking at the United Nations in New York, she said, “We have to acknowledge the fact that the epidemic could have started from some incidents related to research,” according to what the British newspaper “The Telegraph” reported.
“Are we going to find out? From my point of view, I think it’s unlikely that we will. We need to do better in the future. We will see more mysterious events,” she added.
She also believed that there would be an outbreak and continued, “We will not know whether it is natural, intentional, or accidental, and we as an international community need to find ways through which we can investigate this.”
In their new report, the task force’s authors argue that modern virology research has “increased the ability of scientists to create viruses that can inadvertently or in some cases intentionally cause harm with potentially devastating global consequences.”
In addition, the authors warned that “if the virus has real epidemic potential, the entire world could be affected by an accident.”
Although the task force did not “explicitly address” the origins of Covid, the question “underlies the premises, assumptions and purpose of this work,” said author David Relman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University.
The report explained that research with the potential to spark a pandemic has a high potential for near-term benefit to the public globally and should be subject to international scrutiny, which goes beyond normal health and safety. It should only be performed when no other alternative is available.
The team also called for new protocols for sample collection and laboratory work. It is feared the virus may have spread from Wuhan after scientists collected infected bats from remote caves, often not wearing adequate personal protective equipment.
In turn, Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge and co-chair of the task force, told the United Nations that it is important to “regulate activities related to bat tissue, for example.”
2024-02-29 15:00:35
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