A team of international and Chinese researchers will soon release a report on the search for the origins of the novel coronavirus, according to The Associated Press. And it will allegedly reveal that there are currently four working theories about where the virus came from.
Per The Associated Press, there are four working theories from experts about the origins of the novel coronavirus’ spread to humans:
- The virus came from a bat that infected another animal, which then infected humans.
- A bat infected a human straight up, which led to the transmission.
- The virus came from contaminated frozen foods.
- The virus came “from a leak from a laboratory like the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” according to The Associated Press.
Team member Vladimir Dedkov said the theory of the frozen product infection is likely inaccurate since infected people probably contaminated the food.
- He also said “there are no facts suggesting that there was a leak” from any lab.
- He added: “If suddenly scientific facts appear from somewhere, then accordingly, the priority of the version will change. But, at this particular moment, no.”
It’s unclear when this new report will be released, according to The Associated Press.
Where there any other investigations into COVID-19 origins?
Back in February, The World Health Organization said the novel coronavirus most likely spread from animals to humans — not from a lab, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
The report came after World Health Organization experts visited Wuhan, China — the original epicenter of the novel coronavirus — to determine the origins of the virus.
- The WHO said the virus could have been present in communities outside of Wuhan before it spread in that city. But those cases went underreported, according to NBC News.