Study Rebuts US Claim That COVID-19 Originated From Chinese Laboratory

Ancestor of COVID-19 Virus Already Circulating Among Bats
"Infected Bats Likely Entered Wild Animal Markets"

A study has revealed that the virus which gave rise to the COVID-19 pandemic was circulating among bats in Yunnan Province in southwestern China and northern Laos five years before the global outbreak.

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On May 24, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that an international research team led by the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom found that the ancestor of the COVID-19 virus emerged five years before the pandemic. According to their findings, this virus was prevalent among bats in Yunnan Province and northern Laos, regions located thousands of kilometers from Wuhan, which is considered the origin of COVID-19 in China.

The researchers analyzed the genomes of several samples of bat sarbecoviruses, which belong to the same lineage as SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus. By applying phylogenetic inference that accounted for recombination, they reconstructed the spread of the virus across Asia. Their results showed that the closest ancestor of the COVID-19 virus dates back several decades, but the most recent ancestor appeared in 2013.

The study also found that the closest ancestor of the COVID-19 virus most likely circulated among bats in northern Laos and Yunnan Province, China. However, these regions are about 3,000 kilometers from Wuhan, where human infection with COVID-19 was first identified, a distance that exceeds the typical flight range of bats. Based on this, the researchers concluded that the direct ancestor of the COVID-19 virus could not have reached the site of human infection solely through 'normal spread' among bat populations. The researchers explained, "Given the clear evidence that the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is one of four markets in Wuhan selling live wild animals, it appears that the closest presumed ancestor or direct ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 moved from Yunnan Province or nearby regions to Hubei Province through the trade of wild and farmed animals."

Meanwhile, the debate over the origin of the COVID-19 virus has resurfaced as a political issue amid ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China. Last month, the White House posted an article titled 'Laboratory Leak' on its website, claiming that the COVID-19 virus was created in a Chinese laboratory. This refers to the assertion that the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China.

In response, on the 23rd of the same month, China's National Health Commission refuted the White House post on its website, stating that the content was "fabricated without scientific evidence" and argued that the COVID-19 virus actually appeared first in the United States.

Additionally, while some overseas regions such as Hong Kong are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases, the number of patients in South Korea remains stable without significant changes. However, health authorities have warned that there is a possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak spreading in Korea during the summer, urging people to follow infection prevention measures such as handwashing and encouraging high-risk groups to get vaccinated.