It is worth noting that at the moment, the most common explanation for the COVID-19 origin points to the largest market of wild animals in Wuhan, China. However, not so long ago, the Chinese authorities decided that this explanation was not correct.
Almost three months have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic started. During this period, scientists from all corners of the world have been struggling to unravel the mechanisms of the new infection and, on top of that, to solve the mystery of its origin. In addition, while some are studying the impact of COVID-19 on a human body, and others are trying to develop an effective vaccine to protect humanity from it, some scientists are trying to understand not just the nature of the virus, but also the dangers that it might bring.
Many experts, virologists and epidemiologists have already made statements suggesting that the current wave of the novel coronavirus is not likely to be the last one. However, at present, some of them sound quite alarmingly. For example, Shi Zhengli, a well-known virologist from China, said that humanity has come to face with a completely new threat that has not been yet in full swing.
“The coronavirus infection is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. However, Dr. Shi did not clarify what exactly these words meant. She noted only that the threat was much more serious than it was generally believed at the moment. However, Dr. Shi did not call on the world community to stop trying to politicize science. She added that close international cooperation is of great importance in terms of the fight against COVID-19.
“If we are going to prevent diseases and human suffering from a new outbreak of the infection, we need to learn as soon as possible about other unknown viruses that can be passed by wild animals in nature,” the authoritative Bloomberg news agency wrote citing Shi Zhengli. “This might help get ready in advance and prevent a new pandemic.”
It is worth noting that at the moment, the most common version about the COVID-19 origin is connected with the largest market of wild animals in Wuhan. However, not so long ago, the Chinese authorities decided that this explanation was not correct. Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that the market was not the origin of the virus, but only one of its first victims. He added that the Chinese scientists had conducted a large-scale study to test all samples of products from this market. As a result, it was established that animals that had been sold on the Wuhan market could not be sources of infection.