At 16:00 on April 8, 2023, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conference. Shen Hongbing, Professor Tong Yigang, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and Ms. Zhou Lei, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, introduced the crown of the new coronavirus origin research continent respectively.
What do Chinese experts believe is the most likely source of the new coronavirus?
Zhou Lei said that on the origin of the new crown virus, we have reached conclusions in the first stage of joint research with the World Health Organization, which was fully reflected in the joint research report we jointly released with the World Health Organization at that time. It has been determined that:
The probability of direct transmission of zoonotic diseases is "likely to moderate";
With intermediate host introduction, we consider it "relatively likely to very likely";
Cold chain entry "possible";
Our research judgment at the time was "absolutely impossible" to introduce through the laboratory.
Cases at Huanan Seafood Market are most likely from humans rather than animals
Tong Yigang said that the Huanan seafood market research article published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that there is currently no scientific basis to clarify the true origin of the new crown virus. All animal samples included in this article were negative. This suggests that the animals at the Huanan Seafood Market are not actually infected.
The seafood market environment in South China presents a positive pattern. Most of the host information found in these samples was about humans, but there was also information about other animals. This also suggests that the cases in the Huanan Seafood Market are likely to be man-made. It is not an animal from a seafood market.
Scientists have been working hard to study the origins of the new crown, and they have also found some bat coronaviruses that are closer to the new crown virus in other countries. But what exactly is the new coronavirus? Where and how do human infections occur? This does require further study.
Maybe raccoons will become the new intermediate host of the new crown?
Tong Yigang said that there is far from enough evidence that raccoon dogs are the source of the virus.
He said that an article in the early mainland mentioned that some animal samples were found in environmental samples in the early days of the new crown, several of which were human samples, as well as other chickens, pigs, dogs, cats, and others. Various poultry motifs, these animal motifs are actually much more than raccoon dogs. In addition, a large number of specimens were tested at the Huanan Seafood Market at that time. Hundreds of animal specimens, but no animals were found to carry the new coronavirus. From this point of view, extrapolating evidence by looking for animal samples in the environment is completely insufficient. "And even if raccoon dogs are infected, because many people in the Huanan Seafood Market are infected with this disease, it is very likely that people have polluted the environment or infected raccoon dogs." Even if the raccoon dog is positive, this possibility is possible. So I don't think it's rigorous enough or scientific enough to draw such a conclusion based on the small amount of data at the moment. ”
Coronavirus
Is there a possibility of leakage in the lab?
Zhou Lei said that in the first phase of joint traceability research, we also scientifically and comprehensively considered the possibility of laboratory leakage at the planning stage.
Tong Yigang further said that in order to study this aspect, we organized a joint expert group during our time in Wuhan, conducted on-site investigation and research in many laboratories in Wuhan, and conducted in-depth exchanges. All possible clinical data were investigated and analyzed.
The hypothesis that the laboratory leak was "extremely unlikely" was a scientific judgment at the time, and it was the World Health Organization and Chinese scientists who conducted a lot of investigation and research, including visiting relevant laboratories in Wuhan and discussing with relevant departments. Related staff. Conclusions reached after in-depth exchanges.
Further research should be carried out on the basis of respecting the joint research results of the first phase to promote the traceability work more effectively. If the research results of the first stage are not accepted and recognized, repeating the work done in the first stage will not only cause a huge waste of resources, but even lead to the next work in the wrong direction. It also raises questions about the value of further work in the future.
The Chinese team never deleted the data
According to foreign media reports, the Chinese CDC author team deleted the data uploaded to the GISAID platform during the submission process of an article about early research on the seafood market in southern China.
In response, Shen Hongbing responded that the release of the data was caused by a "failure" by GISAID staff, and neither the Chinese team nor the platform deleted the data. China hopes that the staff of the GISAID platform will explain and clarify this matter to the media and the World Health Organization and restore the truth.
Shen Hongbing introduced that the research team of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention submitted the first draft of the paper to the journal Nature in February 2022. In the process of submission and revision of papers, the expert group of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention followed the international practice of publishing scientific papers, uploaded the relevant original data of the paper to the GISAID data sharing platform, only for the review and review of journal reviewers, and with the consent of the journal and the database, the data was officially published and disclosed to the public. article. The data and access links were always there and were not deleted. On March 11, 2023, the team of authors discovered that GISAID database staff had pre-published data uploaded to the GISAID platform prior to publication and without the team's knowledge. The team members immediately requested the GISAID platform to understand the situation by phone. The platform staff said that the release of the data was due to a "failure" by GISAID staff. The platform immediately shut down data sharing, but the data remained on the platform. Neither the team nor the platform deleted the data, and a link to access the data to review the journal was always there. The work of the author team on uploading data is carried out in accordance with international practice. China hopes that the staff of the GISAID platform will explain and clarify this matter to the media and WHO, so as to restore the truth of the matter.
"At present, the latest version of the paper has been officially published online in the journal Nature on April 5, and all the raw data has also been published simultaneously in four international and Chinese databases." Shen Hongbing said.
Don't let COVID traceability become a tool for politicizing individual countries
Recently, some WHO officials believe that the Chinese government's release of new crown data is not open and transparent, which affects global research on the origin of the new crown. In this regard, the three experts mentioned many times at the press conference that we have always maintained a scientific attitude towards the scientific issue of traceability and actively communicated and cooperated with the World Health Organization. During the first phase of the joint investigation, China provided the Joint Expert Group with all relevant traceability information at that time, and did not conceal any cases, samples, test and analysis results.
Shen Hongbing said that these research results and related data have been published in international and domestic academic journals. As a responsible country and responsible scientist, Continental has always actively shared its research results with scientists from all over the world.
"We hope to maintain a scientific attitude, adhere to scientists as the main body, strengthen exchanges, cooperation and information exchange, and scientifically do a good job in tracing the origin of the new crown virus." The promotion and cooperation of some forces and people to politicize the issue of traceability and smear China is everything. Don't think that the eyes of the scientific community around the world will be blinded by their clumsy manipulation. We advise the competent human rights organization of the World Health Organization to return to a scientific and impartial attitude, rather than actively or forcibly becoming a tool for individual countries to politicize the origin of the new crown. ”