Genomic Study Points to Natural Origin of COVID-19
The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan,
China, last year and has since caused a large scale COVID-19 epidemic
and spread to more than 70 other countries is the product of natural
evolution, according to findings published today in the journal Nature Medicine.
Andersen, K.G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W.I. et al. The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Nat Med (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9
The analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related
viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or
otherwise engineered. This study leaves little room to refute a natural origin for COVID-19. This is a relief, because it will hopefully keep us all focused on what really
matters: observing hand washing, practicing social distancing, and supporting the efforts of all the health-care professionals and researchers who are working so hard to address this pandemic.
Based on their genomic sequencing analysis, the study concluded that the most likely origins for SARS-CoV-2 followed one of two possible scenarios.
In one scenario, the virus evolved to its current pathogenic state through natural selection in a non-human host and then jumped to humans.
In the other proposed scenario, a non-pathogenic version of the virus jumped from an animal host into humans and then evolved to its current pathogenic state within the human population.
Which brings me to this...
If this turns out to be the source, then perhaps it's natures way of punishing humans for their dreadful and barbaric treatment of these truly beautiful animals #comeuppance - Pangolins found to carry viruses related to #Covid-19 https://t.co/yiIXU5meDx— Adam Pawson (@pawsonadam) March 26, 2020
And this...
My cartoon Thursday on #Trump’s leadership during #coronavirus crisis in the US. pic.twitter.com/rn8dFwmvJw— Peter Brookes (@BrookesTimes) March 26, 2020
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