This information was given by international experts. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said, “These figures do not give a definitive answer as to how the pandemic started, but each figure is important in moving us closer to that answer.”
Genetic samples collected near the Chinese market where the first case of COVID-19 in humans was identified have shown that raccoon dog DNA mixed with the virus. This has given rise to the theory that the virus originated in animals, not in a laboratory.
This information was given by international experts. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said, “These figures do not give a definitive answer as to how the pandemic started, but each figure is important in moving us closer to that answer.”
It is not clear how the corona virus originated. Many scientists believe that it most likely spread from animals to humans in Wuhan, China, as have many other viruses in the past. On the other hand, there are several laboratories in Wuhan where coronavirus samples are collected and studied. In such a situation, the theory of some scientists is strengthened that the virus may have spread from one of those laboratories. The new findings do not address the question and have not been formally reviewed by other experts, nor have they been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Many other viruses were spread from animals to humans in a similar way at a wildlife market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Tedros criticized China for not sharing the genetic information earlier. He told a press conference that “this information should have been shared three years ago.” The samples were collected in early 2020 from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan where the initial cases of COVID-19 in humans were reported in late 2019.
Tedros said genetic sequences recently uploaded by scientists at the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the world’s largest public virus database were later taken down. He said that even before he was removed, a French biologist caught sight of this information and shared it with a group of scientists outside China who are trying to trace the origin of the corona virus.
According to the scientists, the data showed that Covid samples collected from a shop involved in the wildlife trade also contained raccoon dog genes, indicating that the animals may have been infected with the virus. His analysis first appeared in The Atlantic. “It’s very likely that the animal whose DNA was in the sample also carried the virus,” said Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah who analyzed the data. Raccoon dogs are often bred for their hair. and sold for meat in animal markets across China.
Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
