While the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus appeared to be already clarified, conspiracy theories have reappeared recently. What is worse, doubts as to whether the virus is natural were voiced by representatives of the American authorities. Are there really grounds to consider that the coronavirus has “escaped” from the Wuhan lab? Prof. Włodzimierz Gut from the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene dispels doubts.
- – COVID-19 is a type of zoonotic coronavirus, as are SARS and MERS. It has no traces of laboratory processing on it, ‘explains the professor
- The expert also refutes the circulating information that COVID-19 may be a biological weapon: -It is a virus with a low potential of force. The population is rapidly gaining immunity
- Prof. Gut also explains how it happened that the virus spread all over the world in a fairly quick time
Martyna Chmielewska, Medexpress: Almost 3 million coronavirus infections have been confirmed worldwide. There were over 200 thousand. deaths, and over 800 thousand. the infected have recovered. Recently, US President Donald Trump announced that he would suspend funding for the World Health Organization (WHO). He accused her of mistakes in the fight against the coronavirus as well as submission to China. What do you think about this decision?
Prof. Włodzimierz Gut, microbiologist and virologist: We know Donald Trump does not like WHO-like organizations. This is the front page of the coin. The US President made mistakes in the first preliminary stage because he blocked China, Iran, Europe except England and Ireland. But he did not block South Korea, from where the main shipments to the United States were from. In addition, before the coronavirus situation began, Trump had cut funds from a leading WHO laboratory and the US CDC in Atlanta. He then argued that these laboratories were not doing enough of the tests he expected. These are typical Donald Trump actions. He likes that style.
Donald Trump’s decision may prove fatal for the WHO. We know the United States is its main donor. Last year, the Trump government paid PLN 400 million, which is 15 percent. organization budget. How do you evaluate the activities of the World Health Organization?
The World Health Organization has done as much as it could regarding the coronavirus epidemic. WHO did not declare a pandemic, but an international emergency. At one point, the pandemic was declared. China then appointed a commission to which representatives of the countries affected by the coronavirus, as well as representatives of Geneva, Our Country and the USA, were invited. Virtually experts from all over the world on respiratory infections were invited. In this way, the Chinese have protected themselves against the accusation that they are hiding something. All publications from China are signed by the above-mentioned committees.
There is much speculation about the origins of the coronavirus. US General Mike Miller said at the Pentagon conference that the coronavirus probably originated from natural causes, but there is no certainty. The US intelligence service is currently investigating the matter. There is increasing talk that the coronavirus epidemic arose in a laboratory in Wuhan, where bat coronaviruses are tested, and not at a food market, according to Chinese authorities. Where do you think the coronavirus came from?
COVID-19 is a type of zoonotic coronavirus, as are SARS and MERS. I would like to add that SARS and MERS were much more dangerous in terms of their potential derived from the natural environment. Virtually all mammals have their own coronavirus, which may not be dangerous for others. This one clearly jumped, whether from the bat through one of the mammals, or maybe directly. It seems to me that it happened through the mediation, because contact with the bat is not so obvious. Bats are the group with the highest number of coronaviruses.
The coronavirus has no traces of laboratory treatment on it. Sequences were passed on everywhere. They are in dozens of publications with differences due to the sheer variability of viruses.
Wuhan has a laboratory of the highest, fourth class of security. It does not deal with such banal viruses that kill 2% of people. when infected 4 percent. population. Coronaviruses are known viruses that appear from time to time.
A representative, linked to the US military lab’s Fort Detrick counterpart, said the coronavirus most likely originated in America. In turn, Americans say that the virus originated in China. The Americans would definitely like to know what the Chinese are working on in the laboratory of the highest fourth-class security. As a rule, such information is not provided, as it would be a tasty morsel not for the intelligence services, but for terrorists.
Also read: Virus escaped from the lab? Scientists deny: only nature could create such a thing
How is it possible that the coronavirus has naturally spread on such a massive scale?
This is due to, inter alia, from mistakes made by many countries. Everyone was hoping that the coronavirus, like MERS or SARS, would expire without much problem. This virus is milder. It spread much easier. He received less attention.
Of course, a pandemic could have been prevented if all countries had applied the measures that China is currently taking on all newcomers. China has dealt with the coronavirus epidemic on its territory. Currently, all people coming to China from abroad are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Of course, it is not pleasant for the visitors. The same actions had to be applied to cities such as London, Paris and Rome, which were at the center of the epidemic.
Many conspiracy theories have arisen according to which the coronavirus is a biological weapon. What do you think about it?
Coronavirus is not suitable for any biological weapon. I wonder who would come up with the idea to produce such a brilliant weapon that is not qualified here. It is a virus with low potency. The population is rapidly gaining immunity. But herd immunity will be 80 percent. infections.
You can live with the coronavirus. The fact that it kills 2 percent. or 4 percent population, this is not a problem for a given country. The dilemma is that he was recognized, publicized, and began to block the health service.
There are inequalities in the number of deaths from the coronavirus in individual provinces. For example, in Lubuskie there are no deaths at all, in the north of the country we can count them on the fingers. In turn, there are dozens of them in the center and in the south of Poland. How it’s possible?
Most of the infections are in the center of the country, near Warsaw and Łódź. There are quite a lot of them in Silesia. This may be the result of the population moving into other areas, not only as a result of contact between the population in nursing homes. This is a complex problem. It will be great for post-pandemic analysis. There are differences everywhere. The presence of people with burdens also varies from one area to another.
Prof. Tomasz Grodzki, the Speaker of the Senate, wrote on Twitter that in other countries a way was found to test a large number of medics. It consists in the fact that samples from 10 people are examined with one test. If the result is negative, it means that everyone is healthy, if it is positive, then each person in the ten is subjected to an additional test to see who is infected. What do you think about this method?
It is a known method for testing people infected with various viruses. Unfortunately, the problem is different. What are these tests intended for? If we test healthy people, I can say in advance that the result will be negative. Because after infection, even if a person already has the virus, it is a single molecule that has to multiply to an appropriate level. It multiplies in the lungs.
Obviously, one method would be bronchoscopy, which I do not recommend because it is invasive. In her case, a smear is made, which gives a load. Even if the result is negative, it does not always confirm the absence of the virus XNUMX%, so it should be repeated.
Who are we researching and for what purpose? We conduct research in order to catch the sick and quarantine people who have had contact with them. The virus infects the day before symptoms such as fever or cough appear. If we get pneumonia, we are dealing with the second, more severe stage. Under normal conditions, we can only be sure of the detection of the coronavirus on the second day after the onset of symptoms. If the result is negative on the first day, the test usually has to be repeated with a second sample.
There are risks involved in increasing the number of tests by pooling samples into a single pool. If we know that there is relatively little virus in the throat, we could get a negative result by combining 10 swabs, even if one of the ten swabs was positive. We would not like this. We are fully premeditated using a method that produces more positive results than there are actually materials that contain the virus. From time to time, the so-called negative results. The point is, the number of cases was below zero. This means that from the previous pool, which was positive, due to further research, cases were excluded as not caused by the coronavirus. Supersensitive methods are used deliberately to catch sick cases. We will not detect the virus in a healthy person.
The second pool of superfast tests is a bit like pregnancy tests. These are antibody tests. They are performed when the antibodies are already produced, i.e. after the immune response is closed, i.e. 14 days after infection, and sometimes even more.
There is a lot of confusion with asymptomatic patients. All because they infect people before symptoms develop. Some people mistakenly think that they are asymptomatic. In fact, these people are developing the disease. The density of infections in the asymptomatic population is not all that brilliant. Serological tests were performed at the epidemic center in Germany. It was found that the maximum of 17 percent. the population becomes infected. The method used is not yet validated for cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses. We have at least five coronaviruses in Poland. They were discovered in the sixties.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE : Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers
This may interest you:
- Szumowski: the peak may be in the fall. Do the restrictions make sense then?
- Not only COVID-19. Viruses that are now “crazy” in the world
- Scientists have discovered six previously unknown coronaviruses in bats