There is a saying that goes, “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck, it is a duck!!! “
It is not a camel, it is not a cat…it is a duck!
We have a novel respiratory virus breaking out in a part of a country where the people are known for capturing, trafficking in, and eating all manner of wild animals, a country with a huge bat population and responsible for two other recent breakouts of respiratory viruses. The previous epidemics were found to be caused by viruses that spilled over from bats, were incubated in rodents, and then jumped over to humans.
Would it not be smart to suspect that this recent outbreak may have followed the same path since the behaviors in that population have not changed?
Walk like a duck, quack like duck!!!
And thus scientists who know and understand the phenomenon of zoonotic spillovers have sequenced the genome of this virus and found it to have 96% similarity to a coronavirus from a bat. 96%!
To the men reading this, if a DNA test had that level of similarity, that child whose paternity you refute would be yours!!!
Yet, in spite of all the evidence, some insist on calling it a zebra instead of a duck. Instead of looking at the science, some insist on wallowing in mind-boggling conspiracy theories.
Look, the COVD-19 is not a lab construct. It spilled over from a bat, going first through another mammal and the earlier we accept that, the sooner we start finding ways to prevent more zoonotic spillovers.
Learn the term: ZOONOTIC SPILLOVER!!!
A team of researchers has taken an intellectual shot at rumors that COVID-19 was engineered. In a paper posted on Monday on the scientific online forum Virological, the scientists – who include top epidemiologists like W. Ian Lipkin from Columbia University; Edward Holmes from the University of Sydney; and Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research – said very important genetic clues indicate that COVID-19 was not created in a laboratory.
The paper states:
“It is improbable that SARS-CoV-2 emerged through laboratory manipulation of an existing SARS-related coronavirus. As noted above, the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 is optimized for human ACE2 receptor binding with an efficient binding solution different from that which would have been predicted. Further, if genetic manipulation had been performed, one would expect that one of the several reverse genetic systems available for beta coronaviruses would have been used. However, this is not the case as the genetic data shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not derived from any previously used virus backbone.”
In other words, the researchers found that the way the virus binds to humans cells is way more efficient than any computer program would have produced.
Also, the “spikes” the virus uses to attach to human cells is based on a structure yet unseen in any lab. If the virus had been engineered, the makers would have used an available backbone used by scientists.
This means that there are two possibilities for COVD-19 origin:
– natural selection in a non-human animal host prior to zoonotic transfer, or
– natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer.
So in short, COVID-19 IS HIGHLY LIKELY THE RESULT OF A ZOONOTIC SPILLOVER NOT A LAB-MANUFACTURED ORGANISM!!!
No amount of conspiracy theorizing will change that. No novels written in 1981 with predictive passages about Chinese scientists will change that. No statements by irresponsible politicians, nefarious state agents, and clueless media members will change that.
Thus, instead of wasting our time on hollow theories, the world should bring pressure to bear on China to get its people to change their ways.
Historically, the areas around the world’s rainforests have been seen as the hotspots for zoonotic spillovers and two of the deadliest – Ebola and Marburg – came from Africa. Yet, when a group of people actively hunt and capture wild animals from an area of the world with huge bat populations, traffic, sell, and slaughter them on open markets without any control, is the risk in this area not much greater than round the areas around rainforests?
In fact, all of humanity needs to be wary about encroaching on the habitats of these bats and/or hunting and eating all manner of wild animals nilly-willy.
Imagine the COVID-19 virus had not been a respiratory virus but one that causes hemorrhagic fever like Ebola? Just imagine!
Don’t think it can happen?
Well, we have had SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, Hendra spillover in just the last 50 years from bats and they have 60+ other viruses they are willing to share!!!
Let’s wise up!!!