Scientist says COVID more likely to be leaked from Wuhan lab, not naturally originated

As controversy around COVID-19 origin continues to baffle scientists, a Candian molecular biologist on Wednesday told UK MPs that novel Coronavirus is more likely to have been leaked from a laboratory in China’s Wuhan which ultimately became origin of COVID-19 pandemic. As per Wales Online report, Dr Alina Chan, who specialises in gene rapy and cell engineering, told British MPs on House of Commons Science and Technology Committee that COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have been caused by unique feature of SARS-CoV-2 called furin cleavage site. 

Chan, co-author of ‘Viral: Search for Origin of COVID-19’, noted that furin cleavage site has been linked to Wuhan Institute of Virology, lab which has been centre of COVID-19 lab leak ory. When biologist was asked by UK parliament panel’s evidence session on scientific research, about probability of a lab leak as origin of Coronavirus pandemic, Chan said that a lab origin is more likely than natural origin at present. 

Wales Online quoted Chan as saying, “I think lab origin is more likely than not. Right now it’s not safe for people who know about origin of pandemic to come forward. But we live in an era where re is so much information being stored that it will eventually come out.”

“We have heard from many top virologists that a genetically engineered origin is reasonable and that includes virologists who me modifications to first Sars virus. We know this virus has a unique feature, called furin cleavage site, and without this feature re is no way this would be causing this pandemic”, she ded, as per report. 

Chan cited a leaked proposal including WIV

As per report, Chan cited a proposal that was leaked showing that EcoHealth and Wuhan Insitute of Virology were “developing a pipeline for inserting novel furin cleavage sites. So, you find se scientists who said in early 2018 ‘I’m going to put horns on horses’ and at end of 2019 a unicorn turns up in Wuhan city.”

Matw White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley, as per report, also said that he believed lab leak ory was origin of COVID-19. member of UK’s House of Lord, Ridley co-authored a book on origin of novel Coronavirus with Chan, told MPs that “It’s more likely than not because we have to face fact after two months we knew origins of Sars, and after a couple of months we knew Mers was though through camels, but after two years we still haven't found a single infected animal that could be progenitor, and that’s incredibly surprising.”

He also noted that finding out origin of Coronavirus is essential so that next pandemic can be prevented. Ridley was quoted by media outlet as saying, “We need to find out so we can prevent next pandemic. We need to know wher we should be tightening up work in laboratories or wher we should be tightening up regulations related to wildlife markets. At moment we are really not doing eir.” He went on to say that authorities need to know to “deter b actors who are watching this episode and thinking that unleashing a pandemic is something y could get away with.”

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