‘No conclusive evidence yet on SARS-COV-2 origin’
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organization’s preliminary report to understand the origin of SARS-COV-2 on Thursday said there is no new data that lends itself to the lab leak theory yet, and the panel looking at the issue will remain open to any scientific evidence. Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, who retired as head of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research, is the only member from India in the panel, the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of novel pathogens (SAGO), and in an interview with he cautions against promoting any speculation. Edited excerpts:
Rhythma Kaul, The origins of the pandemic, especially the ‘lableak’ theory, seem to be still a mystery?
We may not yet have a conclusive evidence to suggest any of the theories propagating about the origins of the virus — it is a continuous research process and there is always a possibility that we detect a reason in future. No matter how fascinating the lab-leak theory may sound, nothing can be said conclusively looking at the evidence generated so far that the panel reviewed meticulously. This is science and science runs purely on evidence.
What do we know so far?
We reviewed different studies available currently, and the Wuhan strain of Sars-cov-2 has animal origin. In fact, the evidence at hand comes closest to suggest that it came from bats. To be precise, the genetically related viruses are beta coronaviruses found in Rhinolophus bats in China and Laos. What we do not know anything about so far, however, is the intermediate host— from bats to where before transmitting to humans. Therefore, several animal susceptibility studies were also done and threw up some names such as Mink, from a study in Denmark. We need more studies on this.
Is there a chance of not finding the truth as time goes by?
When it comes to science you cannot say anything for sure, as there have been instances in the past where the source of infection was detected years later. There, however, also have been cases, like in case of HIV, where even after more than 30 years, the source remains unclear.
The report can also act as a document that could guide future research projects in handling zoonotic diseases. Not just the Wuhan virus, the emergence of the Omicron variant, for example, has astonished the scientific community as there has been a quantum jump. The rate of mutation was not so fast earlier but Omicron seem to be a different beast that spread fast around the globe, and was picked up pretty late. The recommendations made in the document will help prepare us for handling of emerging and re-emerging infections of that magnitude more efficiently.
How has been the investigation process like?
It has been a thrilling as well as a learning experience. We started work some six months ago, and have had about nine-10 meetings virtually. This was a different experience from having in-person meetings but we managed to pull it off well. It is an on-going process and the panel will continue to look into the emerging data on the subject and update its findings periodically.