Corona Devastations and Chinese Culpability

Corona virus 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 found nowhere else, in living or non-living being. The genome of the virus strain in the bats that often find access in the Chinese animal markets do not match the one that has caused the pandemic. Hence, a logical question arises…where did the Corona Virus originated from. Surely, some genetic modification has been done on the naturally existing bat (or any other animal) virus. Wuhan Virus Labs esp their P4 Lab is known to be genetically modifying the virus for long…whether to develop a highly virulent and effective biowarfare agent or to study the possibility of the naturally existing bat virus changing to something like the genetically modified strain (SARS nCoV2) and then causing the possible diseases. 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 of https://thecounterviews.com/issue_02_06). In all probability, it is the controlled trials of the genetically modified Wuhan virus that has gone awry and the Chinese administration did not want the WHO or the world to know about it. It is for sure that this virus causing pandemic, has never been encountered in the history of the mankind in the past. So in all probabilities, it is the genetically modified virus that initially tormented Wuhan and then spread all over to doom the world.

The devastations so caused, have cost heavily on to the humanity through deaths, individual sufferings due to the disease and the familial disruptions. As of now, more than 20 lakh people have died the world over and nearly 10 Cr people have been infected by this virus among those who have been tested. It must be acknowledged that a vast majority of the world population have not been tested as yet. Hence, we do not know the actual numbers of the infected people. It is assumed that for every detected case, there are other four who have not been detected. The strain on the health services systems have been enormous to all, be it the advanced & rich nations or the developing & poor nations. All have suffered immensely. As looks on the surface, the rich and advanced have apparently suffered even more…be it USA, UK, Italy or many others. There are no hospital beds available for the new Covid patients in USA and UK. The same problems are being faced in other European nations esp after the new variant of the virus which is 70% more infectious.

All nations had to bear huge cost in terms of raising the additional healthcare services with vital life-support and emergency care. The number of the beds had to be increased. The ICU beds had to be increased many folds. The number of the ventilators had to be increased. The Oxygen supplies invariably fell short at many of the hospitals. Many patients lost lives because of the lack of oxygen cylinders. A large many hospitals were found to have unserviceable ventilators. The anti-viral drugs, the injectable steroids, the crystalloids and colloids…all fell short of the requirements. The non-specific anti-viral drugs did not show desired results. There was no time to do experiments on the human. The most of the patients went in to acute hypoxia somewhat refractory to supplemental oxygen. The complications of the post-Covid managements are a different story altogether. Many Covid cases who had apparently recovered from their ailments have subsequently succumbed. Hence, what will happen in the coming months and years, no one knows.

The huge population under lockdown had to be provided with provisions and food supplies and some support for livelihood…esp those living below the poverty lines. Costs to the national economies have been huge. The national GDPs have plunged in to negative. Most, if not all nations gave gone in to negative growth. Most of these come under the ambit of the national GDP but what about those who remained hungry? Those who suffered from pre-Covid or non-Covid diseases but could not go to the hospital as most of it were busy attending to the Covid patients. Many of the patients suffering from chronic diseases, Cancers, occupational and age-related diseases, died prematurely as they could not be seen in the hospitals. These deaths are not counted among the Covid but they did die in the absence of adequate medical cover to the ravaging Covid. Who will compensate them?

The individuals and families have suffered the separation during the lockdowns…of not days, but weeks and months. The near & dear who lost lives during the lockdown, could not be attended by the family members. The only son of a dead father/mother could not perform the cremation and the last rights. The forced separation of the elderly, parents, children, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters…virtually all during the lockdowns have left a permanent scar in their minds. These scars will have enormous psychological impacts that can never be compensated in the monitory terms.

Billions of school-going children around the world have suffered the loss of education. Hundreds of millions of technical students suffered as they could not attend their laboratory practical and experiments because their institutions were closed. They will either be promoted to the higher classes en-mass or will be held-back in the same classes. Either of the options will have serious consequences on the psyche and the learning of the students.

The scientific communities too must have suffered immensely in their R&Ds. These are the types of costs which cannot be manifest in the GDP or any other income/costs. These costs cannot be compensated in monitory terms. Most of these costs will be very dearly to the students, Professionals, Scientists and so on…not in terms of monetary losses but the lack of progress of their respective nations.

Coming back to the global losses due to corona, it will be a herculean task to assess the true loss. In brief, the losses will roughly amount to the global GDP which is estimated to be around 100 Trillion Dollars. In this figure, all losses other than those few mentioned above (which cannot be assessed in financial or monitory terms) are covered. The manufacturing process has gone for a toss. The hospitality, transportation earnings have plumed miserably low. The entire revenue generation of the nations are in limbo…and this is not done yet. Covid is still ravaging…wave after wave…and the worst, the virus has started changing the strains. It is anyone’s guess whether the vaccines available in the world will able to be win over the newer strains. The final financial cost may be immense.

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 millions of deaths and 100-odd millions of Covid cases all over the world and the enormous devastations that may cost them fortunes in the compensations.

Presently the international investigation team of the WHO is in Wuhan China trying to undertake some fact finding about the source of the Corona virus but the Chinese administration has not given them the 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 the team is only going to study or explore the animal origin of the virus (and not the Wuhan labs). The Chinese administration has apparently 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. Out from the quarantine on 29 Jan 21, they need to collect the virus sample in the Wuhan animal market and get it genetically sequenced to compare with the SARS nVoV2. They have to do in-depth investigation of the reports of the P-4 lab viruses. They have to analyse the Chinese Virus Lab published genomes as to which of them correlate with the pandemic virus. They must go in depth as to how their Covid Lab Test Kit were developed, commercially produced and marketed within 10 days of the virus being identified for the first time on 09 Jan 20. Which of their lab had developed it and from where they obtained the candidate virus sample. They are also expected to explore which all reports, files and documents of the P-4 Wuhan lab have been destroyed in the last one year that could have access to the above information. The Chinese administration’s ‘white paper’ patting own back, may be useful in having a look at some useful cross-reference that might lead a step further. It is however, doubtful whether the Chinese administration will allow all these investigations. If they don’t allow, there are other means too. The WHO Executive Board must call on to the UNSC or the UNGA for a transparent and un-interrupted investigation under its own watch. If China being a P-5 nation creates hurdles, there are provisions within UNGA that could temporarily suspend or bar China from its ‘Veto’ till the investigation is completed. They may also coerce many member nations in the UN nearly under Chinese ‘Debt Trap’, to side with them if needed. In all, it is going to be a difficult task for the investigator to trace the origin of the virus any sooner. Thanks to DG WHO DR Tedros, too much of water has flown over the Wuhan Virus for any possibility of the success of the investigation in the ensuing time of last one year. The investigation team will also have to strike a balance between their firm approach and not be seen as vindictive, with any biases whatsoever.

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 too must be decided by a neutral team.

The entire world is expectantly looking at the WHO team of the investigators of the Wuhan Virus. Whether they were hand-picked by the Chinese administration or are the best professionals in their fields, the general population does not know. They firmly believe that the WHO will fulfil their aspirations. They also believe that the pandemic has engulfed the world due to someone’s commission or omission. Hence, they hope that due compensation will be paid to them by the defaulter(s) whosoever that may be. The cost of the pandemic is immense. Each person dead due to the Covid is liable to be paid about 10-12 million dollars. Each Covid patient having suffered need to be compensated anything from $1-5 million depending upon the extent of their suffering. ICJ may decide the compensation for the psychological impacts of the lockdown, over the individuals, many sleeping hungry, the psychological trauma of having lost the livelihood, their parents/relatives, the students, the Scientists…and everyone else. As on now, the cost of the Covid in financial terms are…$150 trillion. Who should pay for it????????

Financial cost of Corona pandemic

Losses to the global GDP ~$100 trillion.

Compensation to the dead ~ $20 trillion

Compensations to those suffered from Covid ~$30 trillion

Compensating others whose losses cannot be calculated in monetary terms.