In a clip posted this morning on CNN, Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta that he believes the source of the Covid-19 pandemic is a laboratory in China. controversial theory without evidence.
A World Health Organization team exploring the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, is expected to release a report of its findings soon, but has already said a laboratory-related incident is “extremely unlikely.” .
The most likely causes of transmission of the Covid-19 virus to humans, according to the WHO team, are introduction through an intermediate host species or transmission through trade in frozen products. The team has also investigated the direct transmission of a reservoir from animals to humans.
In early February, World Health Organization expert Peter Ben Embarek said the team investigating the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan has identified two scenarios that likely caused the transmission of Covid-19 to the human population.
“Our initial findings suggest that introduction through an intermediate host species is the most likely route and a form that will require further specific studies and research,” Embarek said during a press conference.
He added that the possibility of transmission through trade in frozen products was also likely.
Embarek also noted two more hypotheses the team had investigated while investigating the origin of the virus.
One hypothesis was a “direct zoonotic spill,” that is, direct transmission from an animal depot to a human being.
“The hypothesis of a direct overflow from an original animal source to the human population is also a possible pathway and also generates recommendations for future studies,” he said.
The fourth hypothesis was the possibility of a laboratory-related incident, but that this was the least likely of the four to be the cause of the introduction of the virus into humans.
“The findings suggest that the laboratory hypothesis is unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus into the human population,” Embarek said.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials and state media have promoted an unfounded theory, called “multiple origin,” suggesting that the pandemic may have started in various parts of the world, even in a U.S. military laboratory.