Scientific origin-tracing of coronavirus critical
AS the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, tracing the origin of the virus is important for preventing possible risks in the future.
Study of origins is a matter of science, which should be jointly conducted by scientists all over the world.
However, some countries with ulterior motives are trying to politicise the origin-tracing as a way to suppress and contain China’s development, to pin the blame on China and get away with their own failure.
These moves will only undermine the global fight against the virus and bring more pain to the international community.
Origin-tracing of Covid-19 is a scientific issue, China has all along been open, transparent and aboveboard.
Origin-tracing of the virus is a complex scientific issue. Historically, initial cases have often been reported in places other than the origin of the virus.
For example, HIV infections were first reported in the United States, but may not have originated in the United States. And there is sufficient evidence that the so-called Spanish flu did not actually start in Spain either.
Covid-19 had broken out in various places around the world in the early days. A research published in the European Journal of Epidemiology suggests that Covid-19 infection may have occurred in Europe in November 2019.
According to a US CDC report, Covid19 may have existed in the US in December 2019. The chief epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency said that it’s likely that there were individual cases of coronavirus in Sweden in November 2019.
According to a study released by the National Cancer Institute (INT) in Milan, the coronavirus may have been circulating in Italy since the summer of 2019.
Obviously, all above was much earlier than the first case discovered in China.
Recently, Professor Ju Liya, a doctor of immunology at the Pasteur Institute in France said in an exclusive interview that judging from the overall situation of the pandemic, it is an obvious fact
China has done well in supporting the fight against the pandemic that Covid-19 has multiple origins and Politicised origin-tracing is definitely broke out in multiple places. seeking for political purpose. Since the
China has been working closely with outbreak of Covid-19, we’ve seen some WHO in supporting virus origin tracing US politicians and media outlets labelof Covid-19, and has always been a firm ling the virus, seeking stigmatisation, supporter of WHO and multilateralism. spreading unfounded “lab leak” hypoth
Since July 2020, the WHO internaesis, wantonly attacking and smearing tional expert team has twice conducted the joint report on the study of origins origin-tracing of Covid-19 studies in by the China-WHO team of experts, China, and has had numerous online even before the report publishing. and email exchanges with their Chinese The US president even drew on the counterparts until today. intelligence apparatus to launch “inves
WHO and China jointly released the tigations” on virus origin. report on the WHO-convened global Unfortunately, the US has yet to study of origins of SARS-CoV-2: China respond to the reports of lots of Covidpart based on the large amount of joint 19 cases earlier than had initially been research carried out earnestly. reported by other countries. The
The report has made the conclusion National Institutes of Health of the US that has been widely recognised by the found evidence of Covid-19 infections international community and science which was present in five states in the community on the possible pathways US as far back as December 2019. of Covid-19, showing that there have In Florida, 171 patients had coronabeen scientific conclusions reached virus symptoms before any cases were regarding the Covid-19 origin tracing announced to the public. The mayor study in China. of Belleville, New Jersey was sick with
For some of the follow-up and furthe virus in November 2019, over two ther research recommendations made months earlier than the first confirmed in the phase one joint report, China is case in the US. also actively implementing them and Patients of the EVALI outbreak in will conduct international exchanges July 2019 in several states in the US under pure science-driven studies. have symptoms highly similar to that
Origin-tracing of Covid-19 requires of Covid-19. cooperation of scientists worldwide. Donated blood check-ups in nine The international community should US states found that 106 blood samrespect the fact that the coronavirus ples, ranging from December 13, 2019 broke out in multiple places in the to January 17, 2020, tested positive for world, cooperate with the WHO on the coronavirus antibodies. origin studies in an open, transparent Such moves to attack China time and and scientific manner as China did, and again for no other than three purposes. make due contribution to promoting The first is to hold back China’s develglobal solidarity against the virus and opment, like what the US did through saving more lives. political, economic and social means
2. It is immoral to politicise study of in recent years, and also like what the origins-tracing and will only jeopardise US did to other countries with different international anti-pandemic cooperapolitical and social systems. tion, and cost more lives. The second is to shift the blame for its poor pandemic response.
To date, the number of infections and deaths in the US has exceeded 33,9 million and 607 000 respectively.
As a country equipped with the world’s most advanced medical resources and technology, the US needs to find a way to shift the blame, and China seems to be a suitable target.
The third is to divert public attention on the US bio laboratories. The US has more than 200 bio labs runs all around the world, but it refuses to provide a responsible account of the real situation of these labs and also refuse to adopt a scientific and transparent attitude to invite WHO experts for origin-tracing study in the US and on its Fort Detrick lab and the over 200 bio labs of the US overseas.
The US has all along clammed up and turned a deaf ear to the doubts and concerns of media and the international public, it is very dangerous.
Such moves driven by politicisation are deviating further away from the purpose of the study of origins. They have hamstrung the Covid-19 response in the US and inflicted heavy losses on the American people, and are having an increasingly negative impact on global anti-virus cooperation.
Recently, the third wave of Covid19 pandemic has broken out in many parts of the world, which has seriously affected the development of all countries, including Zimbabwe, and posed a serious threat to the lives and health of people all over the world.
The international community should strengthen joint cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, and also we should fight together against the spread of the political virus. China supports international efforts on origin-tracing and fighting against Covid-19 .
China always attaches great importance to the issue of origin-tracing and will continue to advance its own research in this respect.
At the same time, as a leading country in cooperation with WHO on origins study, China will continue to actively participate in the next phase of global origin-tracing cooperation.
The WHO should uphold the spirit of science, professionalism and objectivity, work with the international community to safeguard the scientific nature and seriousness of the origin study, resist the retrogressive trend of politicising the issue of origin-tracing, and jointly maintain a sound atmosphere for global anti-pandemic cooperation.
China’s position is supported by many scientists in the international community who uphold science, reason and objectivity.
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