Once dismissed by most public health experts and government officials, the hypothesis that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab is now receiving scrutiny under a new U.S. investigation
Virologists also say it is unlikely that any definitive answer about virus origins will be possible in 90 days. The work to fully confirm origins and pathways of past viruses such as the first SARS or HIV/AIDS has taken years or decades.
A look at what is known about the U.S. investigation of the virus.
WHAT ARE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES REVIEWING?
Biden ordered a review of what the White House said was an initial finding leading to “two likely scenarios,” an animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak. The White House statement says two agencies in the 18-member intelligence community lean toward the hypothesis of a transmission in nature; another agency leans toward a lab leak.
Tourism, COVID-19, and a new dawn of service delivery, By Folorunsho Coker
Despite the impact of coronavirus on the tourism industry, yet the opportunities it opens up lay ahead as a grand feast for the brave.
Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove. Picture credit: Google/NTDC.
In consolidating on recovery towards greater service delivery in the post-COVID-19 tourism and hospitality industry, the foremost measure that needs to be considered is the rebuilding of the confidence of tourists and stakeholders in the sector. A concert of targeted rebranding and publicity campaigns are important in creating the reassurance needed to re-inspire demand…
Calibrating the Impact
University of Michigan, and Richard Muller, emeritus professor of physics at the
Wall Street Journal on Sunday, June 6, that there are two factors strongly suggesting a lab origin of the outbreak that has infected more than 174 million people worldwide.
“The presence of the double CGG sequence is strong evidence of gene splicing, and the absence of diversity in the public outbreak suggests gain-of-function acceleration. The scientific evidence points to the conclusion that the virus was developed in a laboratory,” the pair wrote.
Gain-of-function researchers’ sequence of choice appears in SARS-CoV-2
In gain-of-function research, a microbiologist can increase the lethality of a coronavirus enormously by splicing a special sequence into its genome at a prime location. This leaves no trace of manipulation but alters the virus spike protein, rendering it easier for the virus to inject genetic material into the victim cell.
Once dismissed by most public health experts and government officials, the hypothesis that COVID-19 leaked accidentally from a Chinese lab is now receiving scrutiny under a new U.S. investigation.