Citat:
COVID19 är inte "skapat" (dock tror jag inte att jag kan övertyga dig):On the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19
Unfounded speculation on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has prompted the following statement from Professor Holmes, who was involved in mapping the genome of the virus.
"There is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/04/16/COVID-19-statement-professor-edward-holmes-sars-cov-2-virus.html#
"Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 are commonly found in wildlife species and frequently jump to new hosts. This is also the most likely explanation for the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
"The closest known relative of SARS-CoV-2 is a bat virus named RaTG13, which was kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There is some unfounded speculation that this virus was the origin of SARS-CoV-2. However:
(i) RaTG13 was sampled from a different province of China (Yunnan) to where COVID-19 first appeared; and"Hence, SARS-CoV-2 was not derived from RaTG13.
(ii) the level of genome sequence divergence between SARS-CoV-2 and RaTG13 is equivalent to an average of 50 years (and at least 20 years) of evolutionary change.
"In addition, we know that viruses related to SARS-CoV-2 are also found in pangolins. This suggests that other wildlife species are likely to carry relatives of SARS-CoV-2.
"In summary, the abundance, diversity and evolution of coronaviruses in wildlife strongly suggests that this virus is of natural origin. However, a greater sampling of animal species in nature, including bats from Hubei province, is needed to resolve the exact origins of SARS-CoV-2."