Ever since the dubious origins of COVID-19 were raised, attempts to study the coronavirus’s origins were snuffed by China.
While initially, the story spread that infected bats transmitted the virus which hit the Chinese vegetable, meat markets, another source leaked out that the virus was caused by a lab accident in December 2019 in Wuhan in the department of virology hotly denied by China but revealed by a whistle-blower, Dr. Li Wenliang, doctor-virologist in Wuhan, who was imprisoned for revealing this and he eventually succumbed to COVID-19.
India on Friday too joins the other nations in supporting a detailed study on COVID-19’s start.
Huge investigations are now to be initiated by WHO into the origins of COVID-19, just days after US President Joe Biden asked American intelligence agencies to find out how coronavirus began in China. President Biden had on Wednesday directed the US intelligence agencies to “redouble” their efforts in investigating the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and report back to him in 90 days.
In a statement, Biden said, “I have now asked the intelligence community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days,” Biden had said.”As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China. I have also asked that this effort include work by our national labs and other agencies of our government to augment the intelligence community’s efforts,” the US president had said.
Nations such as the US and Australia among many others are calling for investigations on whether the virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 from an animal source or from a laboratory accident in December 2019.
While in March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) came out with a report on the origins of the virus, the reports were scanty and vague and failed to satisfy the US and several other leading countries.
In support of WHO’s attempts, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the follow-up of the WHO report and further studies warrants the understanding and cooperation of all.
“The WHO convened global study on the origin of COVID-19 is an important first step. It stressed the need for next phase studies as also for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions,” he said.
There is a growing urgency among scientists that knowledge of the origins of COVID-19 is paramount in eradicating the virus. Harvard University epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch is among scientists calling for a closer investigation into Covid-19’s origin.
Understanding how COVID-19 emerged is of high importance. Accordingly, it can be treated better if one knows its origins.
SARS-CoV-2, needs effective antivirals and, ideally, broadly protective vaccines. Education and communication with populations where spillover events occur is also an important component of risk reduction.
In recent years, the emergences and reemergences of numerous other human infectious diseases such as Ebola fever, Lassa fever, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, human monkeypox, HIV, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and epizootic avian influenza have been rampant. We have entered a new pandemic era,36 one in which epidemic and pandemic emergencies are becoming commonplace; some are likely to be highly pathogenic. In 2020, science is adequately strong enough to have a good chance of controlling pandemic viral emergencies within 2–3 years however, sadly insufficient to prevent and control their emergences in the first place.
Scientists believe they should begin developing broadly protective vaccines and broadly therapeutic antiviral/antimicrobial agents against pathogens within taxonomic groups likely to emerge in the future, including coronaviruses, henipaviruses, and filoviruses, among others. Organizations like the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, among others, should be extended and strengthened, emphasizing, in addition to vaccine development, therapeutics as well as prevention tools. Pandemic prevention should be a global effort on a par with chemical and nuclear weapon prevention.
Pandemic prevention should be a global effort on a par with chemical and nuclear weapon prevention.
Scientists say that unless they reset the equation; invest more in the critical and creative laboratory, field, and behavioral research; and start finding ways to prevent these emergencies, they will soon see additional coronavirus pandemics, as well as the global spread of other types of infectious agents not yet imagined, caused by some of the millions of viruses in the natural world, many of which they do not yet have the time and funding to identify and study.
Thus understanding how COVID-19 emerged is a critical point on a steep learning curve is crucial to work on curbing it, preventing further attacks, and upgrading their methods and support system.