Beijing [China], September 24: One of China's most famous virologists Shi Zhengli recently warned that it is "very likely" that another coronavirus will emerge in the future.
Ms. Thach warned in a recent study that the world must prepare for another disease like Covid-19 because "if the Corona virus has caused the disease before, there is a high risk of causing similar outbreaks." hybrid", according to the South China Morning Post today, September 24. This research was published in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections in July.
The coronavirus caused both the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that left thousands dead worldwide, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is called SARS-CoV-2 .
In a new study, Ms. Shi's team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (China) evaluated the risk of spreading to humans of 40 types of corona virus and concluded that half of them were "high risk". Of these, six are known to cause disease in humans, and there is evidence that three others cause disease or infect other animals.
"It is almost certain that there will be diseases appearing in the future and it is very likely that diseases [caused by coronavirus] will recur," Ms. Thach's research team warned in the new study. Ms. Thach is also known as the "bat woman" because of her research on viruses transmitted from animals, especially bats, to humans.
The new study is based on analysis of the virus's characteristics, including its population, genetic diversity, host species, and history of zoonotic diseases.
However, many Chinese virologists are reluctant to comment on Ms. Shi's team's latest research because of the heightened sensitivity surrounding her work, according to the South China Morning Post .
The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been dogged by suspicions that the virus that causes Covid-19 may have originated in an accidental leak from its laboratory.
The above hypothesis is controversial and many scientists believe that Covid-19 most likely originated from a virus in animals, possibly bats, and then transmitted to humans through an unknown host. The Chinese side has rejected this hypothesis.
In June, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a declassified report on the investigation into the origin of Covid-19 by this country's intelligence agencies. ODNI's 4-page report said that the US intelligence community still cannot rule out the possibility that SARS CoV-2 came from a laboratory, but they could not find the origin of Covid-19, according to Reuters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
