In a February 17 interview with the French weekly Opinion, WHO consultant and geneticist Jamie Metzl argued that it was not a conspiracy theory that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) could have come from a laboratory leak in Wuhan. Tandse later also stressed that a laboratory leak could not be ruled out. Metz, who is an expert in genetics, believes that the Wuhan virus was not researched for the purpose of creating a biological weapon, but similar research is possible to create a biological weapon.
According to the French broadcaster, the press conference held jointly by the WHO investigation mission and the Chinese authorities shocked Metz, who believed that the WHO experts were composed for the sake of the Chinese official propagandists, spreading the possibility of any frozen Food-transmitted virus, while excluding all laboratory leaks.
Reporter asked: After leaving China, the head of the WHO expert group Peter Ben Embarek in an interview with science magazine completely changed its position in Wuhan, WHO Director-General Desai Tan similarly ruled out the possibility of frozen food transmission of the virus, and stressed that laboratory leaks are not ruled out, what is the reason for this?
Metz: People who have had contact with WHO executives, including myself, have clearly suggested that the statements and positions of the WHO panel of experts at the Wuhan press conference lacked evidence, especially with regard to the frozen food claims.
This seems even more evident today. While Tandusai is to be congratulated for his timely correction of his position, it must be understood that WHO is a very fragile institution. The first WHO expert mission to China after the outbreak was delayed for a month because of obstruction from Beijing, and WHO is well aware of the problems they have with the Chinese government, but China is a major international player today anyway. The fact that Tandusai was able to correct this in Time is the first step. The next step will be the content of the investigation report that the panel will publish, which must emphasize the need for an international investigation.
Reporter: You personally believed from the beginning that the virus could have come from a laboratory leak, in the absence of any evidence, what arguments did you base your speculation on?
Metz: I did believe from the early days of the outbreak that the virus could have come from a laboratory leak, and I don’t think that’s a conspiracy theory. As a consultant to the WHO, a genetic researcher and an expert who knows Asia very well, I have good reason to believe in the laboratory leak theory. Because I know that if there was a mass infection due to coronavirus transmission, the origin of the disease would have been in the bat-infested tropics of China, not in a metropolis like Wuhan, which has a continental climate and is very far from bats and other animals, and where no one eats bats.
Reporter: How exactly would a lab leak happen?
Metz: As we know today, in 2012, six miners in Yunnan, China, suffered from a disease similar to the New Coronavirus infection, and three of them died. 2013, scholars from the Wuhan Virus Laboratory went to Yunnan and collected the virus and brought it back to the lab and detected a gene sequence of a virus called RATG13, which is considered to be the closest virus to Sars-Cov-2. This virus is considered to be the closest virus to Sars-Cov-2. We also know that the Wuhan laboratory is engaged in gain-de-fonction research, that is, adding new functions to the virus, with the aim of increasing the ability of the coronavirus to enter human cells, which is probably why the S protein of the new coronavirus is able to invade human cells so easily, and the purpose of similar research is not to create biological weapons, but to study how to make a virus with similar functions. The purpose of similar research is not to create a biological weapon, but to study how to respond once a virus with similar functions naturally appears.
How did the virus spread in Wuhan? There are several possibilities: either the researchers were infected by the virus, or the lab did not dispose of the waste properly. With the Chinese officials refusing to provide any information, we can only stay at the speculation stage. This is all the more reason for the possibility of a lab leak.
Reporter: Why is it so important to figure out the source of the virus? Why can’t we stop pursuing this and focus on the outbreak?
Metz: If a plane crashes, everyone agrees that it’s important to find the cause of the crash to improve aviation safety. Therefore, it is important to find the real source of the virus to avoid similar outbreaks from happening again.
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