"'COVID-19' Origin Wuhan Institute? Trash-Level Paper... No Evidence"

As the supply of Chinese-made parts was halted due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Hyundai Motor's production lines began sequential shutdowns. On the afternoon of the 5th, workers at Hyundai Motor's Myeongchon Main Gate in Buk-gu, Ulsan, were leaving work wearing masks. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Domestic experts have pointed out that there is "no evidence at all" regarding the claim that the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) may have originated from a virus research institute rather than the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China.

On the 17th, Professor Lee Jae-gap of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and commented on a recent paper published by researchers Botao Xiao and Lei Xiao from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, saying, "I think the possibility is low."

Professor Lee emphasized, "However, since all possibilities exist, it is a matter of considering it for now," adding, "It is not something to be taken seriously."

He said, "Although I have not read the entire original paper, from what I have heard from those who have read it, it is almost a trash-level paper," and added, "I am not sure if the paper has already been retracted, but it has already been removed from the website."

He further stated, "I don't think this is a situation that warrants serious consideration," and "Overall, I think it might be a case of misinformation."

Earlier, on the 16th (local time), foreign media such as the UK's Daily Mirror and Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that Botao Xiao and Lei Xiao recently posted a paper titled 'Possible Origins of the Novel Coronavirus' on the information-sharing site ResearchGate.

The research team claimed that COVID-19 might have leaked from the 'Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention' (WHCDC) or the 'Wuhan Virus Research Institute,' located near the Huanan Seafood Market, which Chinese authorities had identified as the virus's origin.

The researchers stated that the WHCDC had captured over 600 bats and various other animals from Hubei and Zhejiang provinces for research purposes, and "there were incidents where researchers were attacked by bats or exposed to their excrement."

However, they also noted, "While it is possible that the virus leaked from the (research institute) and contaminated some of the initial patients, definitive evidence is needed in future studies."

As controversy over the paper spread, the research institute identified as the origin issued an official statement.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 17th, the institute released a statement on the previous day (16th) declaring, "No staff members at the institute have been infected."

The institute denied rumors circulating in the public claiming that Huang Yanling was the first COVID-19 infected person, stating, "There have been no patients from our institute to date."