Origin of Corona Virus and the Chinese Culpability
Corona virus nCoV2 that originated in Wuhan in Nov 2019 has truly devastated the world. It is firmly believed that this is not a natural virus. It is not known to be found anywhere else in the entire geographical limits of the world, in living or non-living beings. The genome of the virus strain in the bats that often found access to the Chinese animal markets, do not match the one that has caused the pandemic. The Chinese scientists of Wuhan Virus Lab were known to have been collecting the virus samples from the bats for reasonably long duration of period for studies. Ms Shi Zhengli, the Director at the Wuhan Lab was known to be studying the bat virus if it can change (or made to change) strains to attain higher virulence that could be risk for the human. There are also reports that PLA in 2015 was looking for a new biowarfare agent. Is it possible that the 1+1 added up here? That Ms Zhengli was able to alter the genome of one such virus in her lab to make higher virulence…to act as an ideal biowarfare agent for the PLA? Reports are also surfacing out that some 8-odd researchers of the Wuhan lab had earlier suffered from illness similar to the Covid19 but that episode was handled secretly, not to let it come in to the public or international eyes? Hence, a logical question arises…did the modified, highly virulent Corona Virus nCoV2 originate from the Wuhan Lab?
It is known for sure that Wuhan Virus Labs have been under the research for genetically engineering of the bat virus for long. It is also known that Wuhan lab had several projects for study of “gain-of-function” experiments of their own as well as some with international collaborations. Various techniques of genetic engineering are followed in that lab. Protein inserts in the genome are simplest to cause changes in the antigenicity of the virus. However, did nCoV2 emerge as a result of Dr Shi Zhengli’s genetically engineered coronaviruses that made it more infectious or deadlier as part of “gain-of-function” experiments, cannot be answered with confidence without the Wuhan lab data which the Chinese are not ready to divulge. China had agreed for allowing WHO scientists way back in Jan 20 (as announced by DG, WHO after his meeting with Xi Jinping) essentially to know more about the virulence & pathogenicity of the new nCoV2. However, as the international demand started growing to investigate the origin of the Virus, Chinese continued dragging their feet to allow experts in to Wuhan. They repeatedly got agitated on anyone suggesting to look for these data. Their response to Australia is an example. There are surely data on nCoV2 in the Wuhan Lab that the Chinese are hiding.
Whether they actually developed a highly virulent and effective biowarfare agent, the genetically modified strain (SARS nCoV2), has not come out before the fact finding team that went to Wuhan. The Chinese have neither accepted or denied the existence of nCoV2 in their Wuhan Lab. However, the language spoken by the visiting team is worthy of bean read in between the lines when they said “There are very remote possibility of the virus coming out of Wuhan lab”. What did it mean? To any common person it means that this virus did exist in Wuhan lab but there was very remote likelihood of it coming out…BUT…whatever remote, there were some possibility. This makes it absolutely important to investigate it as the world has been suffering from it with unprecedented losses.
There are enough literatures available in the world in which a biological warfare agent has been tried out on own population, under controlled study…and there is always a possibility of such study going awry (The Counterviews; Issue 2:06; Page-9; https://thecounterviews.com/issue_02_06). In all probability, it appeared like a controlled trial of the genetically engineered Wuhan virus that the Chinese administration did not want the WHO or the world to know about. It is for sure that the modified bat virus that caused epidemic in Wuhan, was virgin in the Wuhan society otherwise, some endemic outbreak in the past must have been caused. The first reaction of many specialists in Biowarfare agents were that in all probabilities, it was a biological warfare agent. An article was published in this regard way back on 03 Feb 20 (placed opposite). So, it seems to be a genetically modified virus that initially tormented Wuhan and then was led to spread all over, to doom the world. However, in this article, attempt will be to focus on the epidemiological facts than the conjectural statements.
It is true that till now only circumstantial evidence have been quoted against the Chinese involvement of engineered virus including its “gain-of-function” experiments at the Wuhan Virus Lab. The actual evidence has to come from the Wuhan Lab data and the statements of the scientists and researchers working on the projects, that could be part of the witnesses. A look in the Wuhan lab data could reveal many direct evidence including one or more genome that could be identical to the nCoV2 of the initial weeks and months elsewhere, in Wuhan and other countries, following the break-out of Covid epidemic and later pandemic. Here comes one publication of a research work by Ms Li-Ming after fleeing to USA (for the fear of being persecuted by the Chinese authority) indicating that nCoV2 genome vastly resembled the bat coronavirus ZC45 but undergone modification under a lab set-up. The Spike protein, especially the RBM within it, appears to have been artificially manipulated, that provided the virus the ability to bind hACE2 to infect humans. Could that be a pointer to the ‘gain-of-function’ in Wuhan Lab, is a serious question to be answered.
There is also a smoking gun which various experts have overlooked…that is the source of the seed Viral antigen provided for developing the RT-PCR test kits in China. It may be recalled that the first identification of the Wuhan epidemic virus was on 09 Jan 20 as per their statements… and that the commercial RT-PCR kits were available in bulk at Wuhan Hospitals on 06 Jan 20. Hence, clearly, nCoV2 was a well identified virus readily available somewhere in China months before 06 Jan 20, from where it was supplied to the Chinese R&D Lab for the development of the RT-PCR diagnostic kits in commercial forms. It takes at least 4-6 months to develop the kit, verify its sensitivity & specificity and get it approved by the Health controllers/regulators before commencing bulk production. So when and from where was the seed virus given to the developer of the RT-PCR test kit? They must be made to answer. This answer will also point towards the origin of the nCoV2 virus. The research paper from China sited below clearly shows that 1014 patient’s RT-PCR tests data taken for studies were from 06 Jan to 06 Feb 2020. Surely, the test kits would have come to the hospital much before 06 Jan 20. This is clearly a smoking gun showing that a source of identified nCoV2 was available in China much before they seem to have isolated and identified the virus from a Covid patient on 10 Jan 20 from Wuhan hospital after its outbreak.
It is widely acknowledged that DG WHO was in the knowledge of this Biowarfare agent leak causing epidemic in Wuhan. It is very interesting to observe that the first information about the Corona epidemic was given by the WHO at near-midnight of 04 Jan 20 from an iphone as if someone called up to the WHO chief at the midnight and instructed to make a tweet at those hours. Who could have had that type of authority over WHO, could be anyone’s guess?
It is also for sure that the Chinese administration would have tried to erase all possible evidence in the more than a year time, that they have refused the access to the experts at their Wuhan Lab. It could be expected that the Chinese administration would already have done the whitewash on the evidence before they brought up their ‘white paper’ in their parliament on 07 Jun 20 patting own backs in handling the pandemic.
The international investigation team of the WHO that went to Wuhan China trying to undertake some fact finding about the source of the Corona virus, was not given free hand to visit the places and institutions of their investigation. Even before the team of the investigators were announced by WHO, Chinese had made it clear that they will be permitted only to explore the animal origin of the virus (and not the Wuhan labs). The Chinese administration played major role in the selection of the investigators… which in general terms, could be said as “Pick & chose”. They were confined to their hotels on quarantine and being given limited on-line access for a pre-filtered information. The team was made to undertake a ‘guided tour’ to the Wuhan animal market, Wuhan Lab and some hospitals. Thanks to Dr Tedros that too much of water was let to flow over the Wuhan Virus source for any possibility of reasonable success in the investigation. As expected, nothing came out of their conducted tour to Wuhan. They betrayed the faith of the world community seeking answer to the origin of the pandemic virus. As if rubbing salt to the wounds of those having suffered, Chinese Foreign ministry has recently sought Nobel Prize for Wuhan Institute of Virology…possibly for modifying the best possible Bio-Warfare agent that has galvanised the entire world population but largely sparing the host nation, China. Surely, WIV could be considered a worthy of Nobel Prize for putting the humanity to the perils.
Covid is still ravaging…wave after wave…and the worst, the virus has started changing the strains in multiples…running to thousands. Some of these are extremely virulent, the significant ones among those being the UK, African & Mumbai variants…the latter one renamed as ‘delta variant’ is presently ravaging many nations. Even a newer ‘delta +’ variant is known to have emerged the virulence of which are yet to be determined. As the mutations are taking place the world-over, no one knows what will come the next. The next one or the next to the next may be even deadlier or lethal, who knows? It is anyone’s guess whether the vaccines available in the world will be effective over the newer strains.
All these have happened because someone has apparently bio-engineered a new biowarfare agent called SARS nCoV2 and wanted to try it out on the population at Wuhan as mentioned above. This trial has seemingly gone awry, so as to engulf the entire world…something that the Chinese are vehemently trying to disprove now. If the source of the Wuhan Virus is traced to the Wuhan Lab, the Chinese will be held culpable to >4 million of deaths and 140-odd million of Covid cases all over the world, and the enormous devastations that may cost them fortunes in the compensations. Hence, they will do everything possible to disprove or dispel the culpability. This is why they have denied unhindered, transparent investigations.
Dr Tedros has also conveyed a few weeks back that he can’t force China to agree on international Experts to investigate unhindered in Wuhan transparently, with freedom. This is cowardice…and look at the Chinese audacity…they expect Nobel Prise for their Wuhan Virus Lab.
WHO can surely approach UNGA to request for unhindered, transparent investigation. Chinese can’t apply ‘Veto’ there but have many members under financial obligations of aids & easy loans that may compel them not to vote against them. However, far too many nations have suffered enormously, may not hesitate to vote. The UNGA resolution may have 3 clauses: -
- Was Corona Virus nCoV2 present in Wuhan Virus Lab in 2019 from where it could leak out?
- Did Chinese administration Err in preventing the spread of nCoV2 to other nations?
- Do the victims (dead & diseased) & devastated nations merit compensation?
The world must join hands in taking the perpetrator of the pandemic to the task. All efforts must be made to find the origin of the SARS nCoV2 virus. If this is really from the animal source with the two genomes perfectly matching, the culpability of the Chinese may be condoned. However, if it is confirmed that the virus was genetically modified, China must be made accountable for the immense grief the world is going through. However, if there is any doubt on the origin of the virus to Wuhan lab or elsewhere, no effort should be spared in tracing it. In either case, the WHO and Wuhan administrations cannot be absolved of their responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus to other nations. It is known that the Chinese continued air/sea travels and their exports much beyond the Wuhan Lockdown. WHO too took unduly long in declaring the outbreak as pandemic. Hence, the accountability of the pandemic must be decided by a neutral team.
The entire world is expectantly looking at the WHO team of the investigators for the origin of the Wuhan Virus causing pandemic. Whether the team was hand-picked by the Chinese administration or were the best professionals in their fields, the world population does not know. They firmly believe that the WHO will fulfil the aspirations of the world. It is firmly believed that the pandemic has engulfed the world due to someone’s commission or omission. Hence, it is the obligation of the international organisations like WHO & UN to investigate the origin of the nCoV2 so as to ascertain the culpability, if applicable.