Chinese Research Institute: "Mink Likely Host of COVID-19"

On the 14th, when the daily number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 remained in the 500s for the third consecutive day, medical staff at a temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza raised both hands and shouted "Fighting" toward the press. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight that day, 524 new COVID-19 cases were reported. This is a decrease of 38 cases compared to 562 the previous day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Regarding the origin of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Chinese scientists have pointed to minks and others as possible intermediate hosts that could have transmitted the disease to humans.

On the 16th, according to the Chinese state media Global Times, a research team led by researcher Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology claimed this through the scientific journal 'Science Magazine' on the 8th.

In the paper, the research team evaluated based on genetic analysis results that the previously suspected hosts, such as horseshoe bats or pangolins, did not directly cause COVID-19 in humans. The virus genes from bats and pangolins underwent mutations in other hosts and additional adaptations before COVID-19 emerged.

They suggested that species with high population densities, such as minks, could be the hosts.

This research result has attracted more attention as it was released while the World Health Organization (WHO) expert team visited Wuhan, Hubei Province, China on the 14th to investigate the origin of COVID-19. According to the WHO, COVID-19 infection cases have been reported in mink farms in eight countries including France, Italy, and the United States.

The research team also raised doubts about the possibility that the disease first emerged at the Wuhan seafood market, estimating that the virus had already existed for some time before that. They emphasized the need for further research on animals with high infection potential, including minks, stating that through this, it would be possible to identify the host that directly transmitted the virus to humans and the timing of transmission.