A Chinese virologist says the coronavirus is an artificial creation. Dzieiątkowski: it is impossible to modify viruses without leaving a trace

– As a scientist, I see only one justification: he wants to shine in the media – says Li-Meng Yan, Ph.D. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski. A few days ago, a Chinese virologist announced that he had evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus did not originate randomly and did not originate from animals, according to scientists. – If her words turn out to be a bluff, none of the scientists in the US, of course the rational ones, will not want to cooperate with her. But maybe he will become, for example – more or less hidden – an “expert” of some consulting agency? – explains Dzieścitkowski.

1. A few days ago, a Chinese virologist announced that it has serious evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is not of animal origin and that the source of the global pandemic is not a Wuhan seafood market
2. She also accused the Chinese authorities of causing the pandemic on purpose and then hiding the danger from Chinese society. The WHO criticized it for reacting too slowly to the global crisis
3. – There is nothing in favor of Li-Meng Yan’s theory except her own words – comments Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski, a Polish virologist. An article appeared in the prestigious journal Nature in March, which clearly stated that there was no evidence that the virus was the object of any genetic manipulation. This is one of the most respected sources, there is no more credible evidence for the world of science, explains Dzieśctkowski
4. – Certainly, this statement will gain media popularity, because many people will only remember the message “the coronavirus was created artificially in a Chinese laboratory”. Most of the people who clicked on this news have not read our explanation anymore – explains Dzieciatkowski

The coronavirus is an artificial creation – this statement by a Chinese virologist has recently circulated in the media around the world, causing quite a stir. Li-Meng Yan in an interview with the Spanish daily “El Mundo” said, inter alia: “The market in Wuhan is not the source of the coronavirus, just as no wild animal is an intermediary in the way of human infection. Coronavirus does not come from nature. ” Yan also noted that she did not believe “that the disease arose by chance.”

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The words of the Chinese woman caused a great stir around the world. Especially among those who believe in conspiracy theories about the pandemic and believe they are right to believe that SARS-CoV-2 escaped or even deliberately released from the laboratory. Let us add that there are quite a lot of people who are close to this type of opinion. In the tabloid media, and especially on social networking sites, this way of seeing a global pandemic has numerous supporters.

What about science? Can Li-Meng Yan’s views be credible?

There is no evidence of any tampering with the coronavirus

– There is no evidence to support Li-Meng Yan’s statement – explains the virologist, Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski. There is, however, clear scientific evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is not much different from the coronaviruses that have been isolated from bats and pangolins, or pangolins. The changes that were detected between the genomes of all these viruses clearly show that the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into humans was a natural process of evolution or mutation of the virus, he explains.

As Dzieiątkowski explains, the scientific world does not know any evidence so far that anyone genetically manipulated this coronavirus. There is, however, a lot of scientific evidence that the virus has a natural origin and passed from animals to humans. – The prestigious journal “Nature” published an article in March this year, “The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2”, which clearly shows that there is no evidence that the virus was the object of any genetic manipulation. This is one of the most respected sources, there is no more credible evidence for the world of science – explains the virologist, adding that nothing other than her words supports the Chinese theory.

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“You can’t modify viruses without leaving a trace”

It is worth recalling that the Chinese woman’s words are not the first to challenge the natural origin of the coronavirus. As Dr. hab. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski, conspiracy theories about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 appeared most frequently at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, comparative sequencing of the viral genome was quickly performed, and the genetic material of the RNA of all related and unrelated viruses was compared by means of phylogenetic analysis. Effect? No manipulation with genetic engineering techniques was found in the scientific publication ‘Full-genome evolutionary analysis of the novel corona virus (2019-nCoV) rejects the hypothesis of emergence as a result of a recent recombination event’. Fortunately for humanity, we are not skilled enough yet to alter the genomes of viruses without leaving a trace. Well, unless China already has a technology that no one knows about – says Dzieciatkowski.

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Li-Meng Yan: China introduced this pandemic on purpose

In an interview published last Sunday with the Madrid daily El Mundo, a Chinese virologist announced that her team would present a report proving that the coronavirus was an artificial creation that was not the first time that it appeared at a Wuhan market. She also assured that the evidence supporting her thesis would be passed on to the FBI.

– In the world of science, the rules for announcing breakthrough discoveries are slightly different – comments Dr. Tomasz Dzieciątkiowski. – If I have at least indications that something is not entirely consistent with the current theories, I do not say it in the media, but only submit the paper to a reviewed journal and provide evidence on the basis of which I believe one way or another. The work is reviewed this way by two, usually three independent scientists, and only such a published article is a reliable scientific source – he explains.

If a Chinese woman is bluffing, she is offside in the world of science

Li-Meng Yan left Hong Kong a few months ago, where she worked in one of the research laboratories. The authorities in Beijing have deliberately withheld from the world information about the new coronavirus, he says, and hid cases of infections among Chinese medical staff for the first few weeks. The virologist also accuses the WHO of being too slow. In her opinion, representatives of the World Health Organization had information about a dangerous virus spreading in China as early as December 2019.

Li-Meng Yan assures in the pages of “El Mundo” that her scientific work serves to debunk the myths circulating around the world about the current pandemic. Why does he say something like this without presenting any evidence to back up his words?

– As a scientist, I see only one justification. He wants to shine in the media – assesses the behavior of Yan dr hab. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski. – As far as I know, she escaped from China and is burnt there. Perhaps, on the basis of the media war between China and the United States, it is counting on gaining some capital in the United States. However, if her words turn out to be a bluff, none of the scientists in the USA, of course the rational ones, will want to cooperate with her. But maybe he will become, for example – more or less hidden – an “expert” of some consulting agency? Certainly, this statement will gain media popularity, because many people will only remember the message “the coronavirus was created artificially in a Chinese laboratory”. Many people who clicked on this news have not read the disclaimer or our conversation – explains Dzieciatkowski. Unfortunately, in the era of COVID-19, this type of false information is commonplace and is now a real problem, as indicated in the article “Impact of rumors or misinformation on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in social media”.

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Coronavirus? Weak candidate for biological weapons

Can you create a virus in the lab? Give it specific functions?

– Never and no one has succeeded, even with simpler plant viruses – explains Dzieśctkowski. – We are able to deprive viruses of some of their functions, attenuate, that is, inferior, or create vectors for genetic engineering from them – he adds. As the virologist explains, this is the case with adenoviruses, for example, and one of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will be based on the adenovirus vector. – Chimpanzee adenovirus, i.e. closely related to human viruses, was taken, deprived of some of the functions responsible for infectivity, only those responsible for its replication in cells were left, although at a very low level, and DNA transcribed with RNA was introduced into it, which in the coronavirus is responsible for the synthesis of the S protein, i.e. the spike protein, which in turn is the main inducer of the immune system response. So a vaccine that contains the coronavirus gene is administered to the human body. In response, the body produces the coronavirus protein, which will stimulate the human immune system to produce antibodies against this protein.

And is it possible to modify the virus for a less legitimate purpose? As Tomasz Dzieiątkowski explains, it is theoretically possible if we wanted to create a biological weapon. – It’s just that the coronaviruses are too bulky in this respect. More or less severe flu-like infection is not a good biological weapon, he explains.

As he explains, if the virus were to be “produced” by the Chinese, which Li-Meng Yan probably accuses them, they would have to have some benefit from it, – The British AstraZeneca and the American Pfizer are the leaders among the companies working on the vaccine. Where is the place for profit for the Chinese? Besides, if public information came out that any company created the virus to cash in on the vaccine, and some government allowed it, the company would never sell anything again, and politicians who would allow it to do so would go to jail. Moreover, keeping such an undertaking a secret is impossible, because it cannot be done alone – explains Dzieśctkowski.

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