Some of the first COVID-19 infections were linked to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China. Photo: Simon Song. According to the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, China), a study by scientists from West China Normal University and Oxford University recently shed light on the wildlife trade. in Wuhan City, which has long been considered a potential source of the spread of COVID-19. In the most detailed record of the wildlife trade yet to be released, scientists estimate that more than 47,000 wild animals were sold in the city’s markets in the two-and-a-half years before the outbreak. disease outbreak. According to the study, up to 38 animals were sold at 17 stores in four markets in Wuhan city between May 2017 and November 2019. These include mammals such as civets, ferrets and raccoons, which are known to be susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, along with squirrels, badgers, foxes and porcupines, as well as birds and cows close. However, the researchers did not find any evidence that bats or pangolins – considered two sources of SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission – were commercially available. Seven of the wildlife shops are at the Huanan seafood wholesale market, which has been linked to several COVID-19 cases in late 2019. On average, about 1,100 animals are transported throughout the city’s markets each month, in a trade that the researchers describe as qualifying for disease spread and “essentially any legal”. “Almost all the animals for sale are alive, caged, crammed and in poor condition. Most of the shops offer butchering services, which are performed on site, which does not guarantee food hygiene or animal welfare,” the researchers said. Huanan Seafood Market, Wuhan, closed last January. Photo: Simon Song/SCMP Veterinarian David Hayman, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) team visiting Wuhan in early 2021, said the study confirmed that live wild mammals were for sale. in Wuhan, which the WHO team suspected, but could not verify. The study also provides clear evidence that several species that are susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been “continuously marketed,” Hayman said. The origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 epidemic is still unknown. Scientists as well as governments in many countries have called for further investigation into whether the virus came from the wild or leaked from a laboratory, a theory that China has repeatedly denied. The wildlife trade has been identified as a possible route of transmission of the virus, which is believed to have originated in bats. Most of the first cases were linked to the Huanan Seafood Market, and a subsequent analysis found that more than half of the first cases in December 2019 were in contact with this market or markets. other in the city. However, no link was found between commercially available animals and the virus. Earlier, a report by the WHO team, based on information from Chinese authorities, said that only snakes, crocodiles and salamanders, which are less likely to contract SARS-CoV-2, were sold directly. continue at the market at the end of December 2019. “It is important that mammals that are alive and being sold in markets in Wuhan just before the first cases of COVID-19 were recorded, are very contagious with the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” said Daniel Lucey. , an infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University Medical Center (USA), said. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhao-min, co-author of the study, hopes the newly published data can be useful in tracing the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Distinguishing between Trump and Biden In an article published in March 2020, CNN posted an image of former President Trump crossing out the word “Corona” and changing it to “Chinese” before the word virus in a note at a meeting with the task force against COVID-19. The American newspaper at the time asserted that this was an attempt by the President and some in the administration to distract the public from his failure to control the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the US. At the same time, many other American newspapers quoted a series of statements from the White House public health advisers asserting that it is inappropriate and inaccurate to associate SARS-CoV-2 with the name Wuhan virus. “Ethnicity is not the cause of the virus that causes COVID-19” , Forbes quoted Alex Azar – US Secretary of Health and Human Services at that time said. A photo shows the word “Corona” removed and replaced with “China” in Trump’s COVID-19 announcement. Sheet Vox Trump’s association with COVID-19 by geographical location is dangerous because it arouses xenophobia. CBS News stressed that the US leader’s statements related to the “Chinese virus” only fueled a wave of discrimination against Asian Americans. According to statistics from the database website Factbase, Trump used the phrase “Chinese virus” more than 20 times between March 16 and March 30. Before a series of criticisms from the media and public opinion, he did not mention this phrase but never “reduced” when he asserted that there was evidence that nCoV escaped from the Wuhan laboratory many months later. Unlike his predecessor, not long after taking office, President Biden signed an executive order banning COVID-19 contacts by geographical location. A few weeks ago, the hypothesis that COVID-19 leaked from the Wuhan laboratory became hot again when the Wall Street Journal It was reported that 3 researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized for treatment in early November 2019. The American newspaper confirmed that these people had “symptoms similar to COVID-19 disease”. A few days after the information Wall Street Journal Posted, President Biden directed the US intelligence community to intensify efforts to investigate the origin of COVID-19 and report to him within 90 days. This move of the American leader was welcomed by the US media. A series of American newspapers began to seriously analyze the possibility of the virus escaping the laboratory, citing experts who emphasized the need for a scientific investigation into this matter. CBS News Quoting former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, it was a mistake to prematurely dismiss the theory that COVID-19 leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. While New York Times said many scientists welcomed President Biden’s call for a more extensive investigation of the Wuhan lab. Many other newspapers are racing to publish information about the report of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California, USA on the origin of COVID-19 which emphasizes the hypothesis that the SARS-CoV-2 virus leaked from a laboratory. China’s experiment in Wuhan is correct and needs further investigation. The same problem, but at two times, the way the American media reported under two presidents seemed different. Although compared to 1 year ago, the hypothesis that COVID-19 escaped from the Wuhan laboratory is only one more episode like Wall Street Journa l posted. Intelligence agencies around the world, including in the US, have yet to make any official conclusions about the origin of nCoV. Trump supporters criticize American media. Many opinions say that anti-Trump sentiment makes many newspapers lose their objective view when they only focus on going against what the US leader claims. The US has never given up investigating the origin of COVID-19 Even under Trump or Biden, the US has never given up on the investigation into the origin of COVID-19. Washington criticized China for denying international investigators access to the Wuhan lab and for failing to explain some of the inconsistencies in the hypothesis that the virus jumped from animals to humans. The Wuhan Institute of Virology became the focus of the investigation into the origin of COVID-19. (Image: Shutterstock) According to the sheet DW of Germany, the United States is taking every opportunity to remind the world that China is responsible for the entire current world mayhem. Whether it’s Trump or Biden, they want the American people to believe that the disease that has claimed more than 600,000 American lives originated in China and they have done everything to find the truth that Beijing hides. Blaming China also alleviated people’s dissatisfaction with the government’s shortcomings in putting in place anti-epidemic measures. It is undeniable that China has fought COVID-19 well and soon brought the epidemic under control. Beijing is also busy promoting its success story and drowning out international criticism for its “leaving” nCoV to the world. But China’s lack of transparency has also fueled speculation that Beijing is hiding something. This provides fertile ground for conspiracy theories. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing a situation in which the question of the origin of COVID-19 and different strategies in fighting the pandemic becomes the subject of a propaganda war between the US government and the US government. and China” , said German scientist Felix Wemheuer. Experts say that while trying to refer to China as an irresponsible country that spreads the disease but consistently denies it, the US has built itself as a leader in finding the truth, ready to stand up for justice. The US claims to blame China for COVID-19 are also against Beijing’s propaganda efforts that the virus did not originate in the country. After successfully controlling the epidemic, China began to shift public opinion from criticism aimed at the country to Beijing’s contributions in the pandemic. Beijing once hypothesized that the virus may not have originated in China after a study published in 2020 showed that antibodies against COVID-19 or a variant were detected in Italy in 2019. China also called called WHO to investigate the hypothesis that the virus leaked from laboratories around the world, referring to the possibility that the pathogen may have been brought by US military personnel to Wuhan, China in October 2019. If it is proven that COVID-19 came from a laboratory in Wuhan, the US will destroy the image that China has built and pressure Beijing to shoulder the burden of vaccination for the world. The US accusations against China may also give other countries a stronger voice in demanding an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 under the umbrella of US protection. In fact, British intelligence recently suddenly changed its opinion, from thinking that the virus theory leaked from the laboratory “unlikely” to saying this hypothesis is “absolutely possible”. For the US, an investigation into the origin of the epidemic could become a lever to increase pressure on China and be part of a competition for influence between China and the West. If it can obtain evidence of Beijing’s cover-up of the pandemic, Washington can use that as leverage in negotiations. Is the investigation being politicized? Under pressure from the US, China and WHO officials repeatedly called on Washington to stop politicizing and “poisoning” the investigation into the origin of COVID-19. Experts fear the US-China blame game for the origin of the epidemic threatens scientific investigations. (Photo: SCMP) “US efforts to politicize research on the origins of COVID-19 seriously undermine international cooperation and create difficulties and obstacles for efforts to combat the virus and save lives.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed. According to the DW The fact that the US is using COVID-19 as a “scapegoat” as well as the way China is not really transparent about providing information at the beginning of the outbreak are turning science into a political victim of the pandemic. . The world’s two largest economies are stuck in a blame game, fueled by theories about the origins of COVID-19. Experts fear this could distort the investigation into the origin of the epidemic, which is expected to be based on science. “Analysts are under political pressure to stick to the theory that the virus leaked from the lab,” he said. analyst Jeffery Wright said. Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme, once affirmed that “science needs to be central and science will find the answer”. Unfortunately, the WHO’s statements seem to be losing some weight due to earlier accusations by the Trump administration that the WHO is a “puppet of China” and that the organization is China-centric. Doubts with the WHO also increased when the organization’s investigation into the origin of COVID-19 in March did not come to a clear conclusion. The investigative report mentions the theory that the virus leaked from the laboratory but claims this scenario is “extremely unlikely”.

The hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic can originate from the Wuhan Institute of Virology is of great interest to the world. (Photo: CNN) Where is the “birthplace of COVID-19”? The laboratories at the Wuhan Institute of Virology are classified as the safest, or biosafety level 4 (BSL4). They are formulated to control dangerous bacteria and viruses that can cause serious diseases for which there is no cure or vaccine. The researchers here are all well-trained professionals and equipped with protective gear. “ The laboratory is equipped with an HVAC feeder system so viruses cannot escape through the exhaust, all wastes are treated with chemicals or high temperatures to ensure that no (pathogens) are still active. dynamic “, said Dr. Gregory Koblentz at George Mason University. In addition to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, there are still 59 similar scientific research institutions in the world. Meanwhile, there are no international standards specifying the level of safety, security and responsibility in the preservation of disease-carrying specimens at these facilities. The possibility of problems in these labs is entirely possible. This rate is even higher for the thousands of lower-level laboratories than the Wuhan research facilities scattered around the world. The laboratories at the Wuhan Institute of Virology are classified as the safest. (Photo: CNN) Man-made disaster A prime example of a disaster stemming from a laboratory accident is the human H1N1 virus. After the terrible pandemic of 1918, in 1977, the H1N1 epidemic once again leaked from the laboratories of the Soviet Union and China, then spread all over the world. In 2001, a mentally disturbed employee of a scientific laboratory in the US spread anthrax spores across the country, killing five people. In 2004, two Chinese researchers exposed to the SARS virus became the source of infection, one of the infected people died. In 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration discovered that some samples carried smallpox at risk of being released. Lynn Klotz, a senior fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Nuclear Nonproliferation, warned that scientific labs have posed many public health threats in history. history, and a similar situation is likely to repeat itself in the future. “ Human error accounts for more than 70% of laboratory incidents “, said Mr. Klotz. A prime example of a disaster stemming from a laboratory accident is the human H1N1 virus. Is Wuhan bat research dangerous? GOF research involves editing pathogens to make them more contagious, more dangerous, or easier to evade vaccines and treatments, all with the aim of improving measures against these pathogens. this disease. GOF has long been an area of ​​intense controversy. The US government, the largest funder of research on the link between COVID-19 and bats in Wuhan, disagrees with several independent scientists. They could not agree on whether this work should be classified as a GOF study. Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch expressed concern about studying the SARS-CoV-2 virus in bats: I am afraid that it will create a new strain of virus that, although not deadly if infected by the laboratory staff, will cause a new pandemic.” . “ This research is unnecessary and does not contribute to drug or vaccine development ‘, said Professor Richard Ebright at Rutgers University, a longtime GOF expert. The US government also banned GOF research in 2014. The ban was relaxed in 2017, under which some cases will be considered to be allowed to operate based on the application of the research. However, the review process has been criticized as lacking transparency and unreliable. Leading US health experts Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health have denied the research on COVID-19 and Wuhan bats is of the GOF category, but independent scientists disagree with this. their statement. The US government is the largest funder of research on the link between COVID-19 and bats in Wuhan. (Photo: AP) There is currently no clear scientific evidence on whether the virus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from a laboratory. However, there is some indirect evidence in favor of this hypothesis: Wuhan is only about 1,600 km north of the bat cave containing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, scientists from Wuhan are also known to often frequent visits to bat caves to take samples. Alina Chan, an expert in molecular biology at the Broad Institute, said the SARS-CoV-2 virus does not grow quickly after infecting people. This is one of the signs that the virus came from the lab. Ms. Chan added that the research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus will not be abandoned even after the pandemic ends. On the contrary, this study can be further extended in the future.

On May 26, the Biden administration directed US intelligence officials to take a closer look origin of SARS-CoV-2 , including theories such as animal-to-human transmission and lab leaks. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has so far infected more than 172 million people globally and caused more than 3 million deaths. (Photo courtesy: AFP) To date, the most comprehensive look at the origins of Covid-19 is a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) published on March 30 by an international team of researchers who traveled to China to Investigate the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, weeks later, many countries around the world have expressed concern that investigators have not had access to adequate data, while scientists say the report clearly shows how the virus develope. “The quick and obvious answer is not possible, as it normally takes years to trace the source of the virus. But in this case, I think we have enough evidence to make some hypotheses about SARS-CoV-2,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Center for Global Health Science and Security at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Georgetown University Health, said. In the WHO report, the team found that it is possible that SARS-CoV-2 was transmitted from one animal to another before it was transmitted to humans. They also looked at evidence supporting the hypothesis that the virus was transmitted directly to humans from the original host animal, or that the virus spread through the frozen food supply chain. In addition, the research team said that the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan (China) is “very unlikely”. Below are the evidences for each of the four hypotheses about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 that the WHO report makes. 1. Direct animal-to-human transmission WHO assesses direct transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from animals to humans as a “probable” possibility. The SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in an animal, possibly a bat, and then spread to humans. The WHO report provides evidence that the majority of coronaviruses that infect humans come from animals, including the virus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak. Bats are thought to be the most likely animal to cause it. epidemics of Covid-19 because they are hosts of a virus that is genetically related to SARS- CoV-2. The WHO report acknowledges the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 spread to humans from pangolins or ferrets. However, David Robertson, a virologist at the University of Glasgow, said that the WHO team of scientists had sampled many animals other than bats for study, and the analysis showed that bats are a natural reservoir for the virus. SARS-CoV-2. 2. Transmission from animals to humans through an intermediate host According to WHO, the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from animals to humans through an intermediate host is very high. In the event that SARS-CoV-2 was not transmitted directly from bats to humans, the scientists believe the most likely hypothesis is that the virus first spread through another animal species, such as a ferret or ferret. pangolin. Unlike bats, these animals are in constant contact with humans, especially if they are raised on farms or during the illegal wildlife trade. If SARS-CoV-2 was initially transmitted to another animal, that could also explain how the virus adapted to harm humans, although Robertson said the virus probably won’t change much. Genome analyzes show that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus specifically adapted to humans, which explains why it can be easily transmitted between pangolins, ferrets, cats and other species. other animals. The WHO report indicates that this is the route that previous corona viruses have taken to infect humans. For example, the SARS virus is believed to have passed from bats to civets before causing an epidemic in humans in 2002. Meanwhile, the virus that causes MERS has been found in camels throughout the Middle East. Daniel Lucey, an infectious diseases specialist at Georgetown University Medical Center, said that the similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus families like SARS and MERS are a compelling argument that the strain type This virus can be transmitted in the same way. However, if this hypothesis is correct, it remains unclear what the intermediate host for the transmission of the virus from animals to humans is. The WHO team analyzed samples from thousands of domestic animals across China, all of which tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Mr. Lucey said that the WHO team did not adequately examine mink raised in China, one of the suspected intermediate hosts. 3. Transmission through frozen food WHO assesses the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 transmission through frozen food is probable. Another theory is that the virus can be transmitted to humans through the cold supply chain, the supply chain that distributes frozen food. In this case, the virus may have originated outside of China but spread into the country through the surface of the food packaging or in the food itself. This hypothesis gained interest in the summer of 2020 after several outbreaks in China. Since then, there has been some evidence that pathogens can survive longer at cold temperatures. However, while cold supply chains may play a role in new outbreaks, scientists say there is little reason to think that is the source of the pandemic. There is no direct evidence that SARS-CoV-2 causes food-borne outbreaks, while Rasmussen noted that SARS-CoV-2 is rarely spread through surfaces. . “It is not an impossibility. This possibility cannot be ruled out. But I think the current evidence is not enough to show that,” Ms. Rasmussen said. 4. Leaks from the lab According to WHO, the possibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus leaking from the laboratory is extremely unlikely. The most controversial theory about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is that the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, where scientists studied coronaviruses in bats. WHO scientists point out that there is little evidence that the virus leaked from the laboratory. An employee works at the laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (China). Photo: AFP There are 2 possibilities of the SARS-CoV-2 lab leak hypothesis, that is, a researcher was accidentally infected in the laboratory or the researchers intentionally invented a corona virus strain to create SARS. -CoV-2. However, the researchers completely rejected the second possibility that SARS-CoV-2 was created by genetic evidence that the virus arose spontaneously. WHO focuses on the possibility that the virus accidentally escaped from a laboratory where wildlife samples are being studied. Although there have been laboratory leaks in the past, the WHO report indicates that these are very rare. According to the WHO report, there is no record of any laboratory in Wuhan working on a virus closely related to SARS-CoV-2 before the first cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed. diagnosed in December 2019, nor have any laboratory staff reported symptoms of Covid-19. An article by the Wall Street Journal on May 23 stated that three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became ill in November 2019 and were hospitalized with “symptoms consistent with both Covid-19. -19 and seasonal flu. However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on May 25 denied this information. When the WHO report was released in April, Mr. Lucey believed the hypothesis was plausible, although less likely than animal-to-human transmission due to the lack of evidence. Lucey pointed out that there was no forensic investigation of the Wuhan labs. “There really isn’t any way to prove or disprove the lab leak theory based on what is presented in this report,” Ms. Rasmussen said, noting that, to address the issue, A forensic examination of the laboratory is required to find the origin of SARS-COV-2. According to expert Robertson, supporters of the virus lab leak hypothesis argue that SARS-CoV-2 has spread too quickly and effectively in humans to become a virus of natural origin. But if SARS-CoV-2 is a “smart” virus, according to genomic studies, Robertson said, it is not surprising that it infects humans so quickly and so strongly.

Professor Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said the scientists signed a letter published in the journal Science to call for the attention of the scientific community. “What we’re saying is that the available evidence doesn’t rule out a laboratory origin of COVID-19, nor does it rule out a natural origin. And there’s really no solid evidence either. It’s just that. There’s quite a bit of evidence lacking right now, and we’re calling for it to be addressed because it’s such an important question,” said Prof. Meanwhile, the Business Standard on May 29 said that since last year, Professor Angus Dalgleish (British) and Norwegian scientist Birger Sorensen have come to a conclusion about the possibility that “the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated from To confirm their position, the two scientists published a 22-page paper in the journal Biophysical Discovery, explaining that, in the course of their research Researching the vaccine, they discovered “special traces” that the virus was not of natural origin.The clue was a row of four amino acids, which generate a positive charge and bind to negative human cells. . “The law of nature is that you can’t have four positive amino acids in a row. The only way to have this is to make it yourself,” commented Professor Angus Dalgleish. The article by these two scientists also affirms: “We now have no doubt that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was purposefully manipulated, forcing us to reconsider the We think there are retro-engineered viruses. They changed the virus, then tried to figure it out in sequence years ago. We’ve seen leaks. We know it’s happening in the lab, and we know it’s happening. We also know from the reports we’ve found that the coronavirus is studied in Biosafety Level 2 or 3 laboratories.” Both scientists are respected experts: Prof Angus Dalgleish is a professor of oncology in London known for his groundbreaking work on HIV vaccines while Birger Sorensen is a virologist and president of Immunor Pharmaceuticals, which is developing a COVID-19 vaccine called Biovacc-19. On May 26, US President Joe Biden ordered the country’s intelligence community to unravel the conspiracy theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory and must provide an answer within 90 days. Doubts Apparently, the hypothesis that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could be the result of a scientific experiment has heated up the debate among scientists about the operation of the safest biological laboratories in the world today. . The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is suspected of leaking the virus, is a virology research institute managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Located in Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei, Wuhan Institute of Virology has China’s first biosafety level 4 (BSL – 4) laboratory and has close relations with the National Laboratory. Galveston in the US, the Center International de Recherche en Infectiologie in France, and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada. Gregory Koblentz, director of Biodefense Graduate, revealed that BSL-4 is built to work safely and securely against the most dangerous bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illnesses for which there is no treatment or vaccine. : “There’s an HVAC filtration system, so viruses can’t escape through the exhaust. Any wastewater that leaves the facility is treated with chemicals or high temperatures to ensure that nothing remains alive. The researchers themselves are highly trained and wear protective clothing.” Statistics show that there are 59 BSL-4s around the world but there are no binding international standards for safe, confidential and responsible work with pathogens. The report, Mapping Maximum Biological Containment Labs Globally, shows that accidents can happen, sometimes in top-tier facilities, and more often in lower-level labs. For example, the human H1N1 virus – the same flu that caused the 1918 pandemic, was leaked in 1977 in the Soviet Union (former) and China. In 2001, a mentally disturbed employee at a US laboratory sent anthrax spores across the country, killing five people. Two Chinese researchers exposed to SARS in 2004 spread the disease to others, resulting in one death. In 2014, a handful of vials of smallpox were discovered during an office move by the US Food and Drug Administration. Lynn Klotz, a senior scientist at the Centers for Non-Proliferation and Control, has been sounding the alarm for years about the public safety threats posed by such facilities. “Human error accounts for more than 70% of errors in laboratories, adding that US researchers must rely on data from freedom of information requests to learn about incidents.” hey,” Lynn Klotz said. These incidents do not mean that COVID-19 has leaked from a laboratory and the fact that there is no scientific evidence to support the scenario yet, said molecular biologist Richard Ebright of Rutgers University. laboratory accident for this pandemic.

The lack of information raises more questions. Recently, 24 scientists sent a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asking for an independent and rigorous investigation because they thought that the international investigation to China in early February was not deep enough. US President Joe Biden on May 26 also ordered intelligence forces to “double efforts” to investigate the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the possibility of a leak “from a laboratory accident”. While the theory that the corona virus leaked from the laboratory was “resurrected”, two competing groups of experts in the study of bat diseases in Wuhan became the target of criticism. The reason is that they are willing to ignore safety measures during research. Many new diseases in the past originated in bats. Photo: SCMP. “Batwoman” and Wuhan Institute of Virology Nicknamed “bat woman”, Dr. Shi Zhengli is a famous Chinese corona virus researcher. She has identified many strains of the virus similar to SARS (severe acute respiratory distress syndrome) over the years and forewarned of new pandemic risks. Thach’s laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) also discovered and studied viruses that are closely related to corona virus. However, the scientists point out that the two viruses are still decades apart in natural evolution. According to the report of the WHO expert team, Ms. Thach said that all field activities were carried out with full protective clothing, including N95 masks, overalls, visors, and gloves. However, in a speech in June 2018, Ms. Thach said that is not the case. “Most of the time, we’ll wear simpler protective gear, and that’s fine,” Thach said in her speech. That’s because most diseases in bats can’t be directly transmitted to humans, but can only be through intermediate animals, Ms. Thach explained. To illustrate, Ms. Thach showed the audience during the presentation a photo of her team casting nets to catch bats in the cave and sorting the samples. Some people on the team only wore medical masks and thin rubber gloves, while others used their bare hands and did not wear masks. “When are we going to strengthen the protective gear? For example, when there are too many bats in the cave or when there is a lot of dust when entering the cave,” Thach said. When the pandemic hit, Ms. Thach became quiet and appeared only occasionally. On February 2, 2020, she posted to friends on the social network WeChat and “swore on her life” that her lab was not related to the pandemic. Three months later, Ms. Thach continued to post denying rumors that she had brought intelligence files to the West, according to Global Times . Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: AFP. When suspicions fell on the WIV, Ms. Thach sent a statement to the scientific journal Science in July. She said the corona virus could not have come from the WIV because her team did not encounter this strain during research. In addition, every employee here has tested negative for corona virus antibodies. According to Ms. Thach, before the pandemic, her team “never exposed or studied this virus, and did not know of its existence”. But she also admitted that her lab has not yet sequenced the genes of every sample due to financial and human constraints. She declined to say how many samples remain unsequenced. In January, Thach’s laboratory was questioned even more after the US State Department announced that there were “reasons to believe” that some WIV researchers showed symptoms similar to Covid-19 in the fall of 2019. May, Wall Street Journal also cited intelligence reports that three WIV researchers had been so sick that they needed to be examined. Vien Chi Minh, WIV’s laboratory director, called this a “blatant lie” in response to state media. Bat explorer and Wuhan CDC CDC During this time, the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab was less visible than the WIV. The WHO expert team’s report on the trip to the Wuhan CDC did not include notes on research safety measures. According to the report, the laboratory moved on December 2, 2019 to a location near the Huanan market – the market that was linked to the first cases of corona virus infection. “Such activity can disrupt the operation of any laboratory,” the WHO expert team said. However, the Wuhan CDC laboratory did not record any interruptions, according to the WHO expert. The Wuhan CDC is the place to monitor China’s initial response to the pandemic. At the Wuhan CDC, there is also a person who regularly works with bats – Dien Tuan Hoa. According to the Washington Post , in terms of position, Dien Tuan Hoa is a deputy technician in the pest control department of the Wuhan CDC. But Mr. Dien is known for being an aggressive adventurer when it comes to working with bats and insects. “He often goes to places that other people cannot find to get the necessary specimens,” a colleague said of Mr. Dien on a local TV station in January 2020. “He can confidently say that he can catch what others can’t.” Tian Junhua on a field trip to collect insects in Hubei province. Photo: China Daily. Using nets and traps, Mr. Dien’s team caught 155 bats in his home province of Hubei, and hundreds of bats in other areas for research in 2013. Mr. Dien was also a member of the team. discovered 1,445 new vertebrate RNA virus species. This result was published in a famous scientific journal Nature in 2016. Once, Wuhan CDC held an internal meeting with the theme “Learning from the achievements of Dien Tuan Hoa”. “No one can remember how many mountains he climbed, how many rivers he waded, how many bat caves he explored, how many stables he crawled, and how many landfills he had to search,” the CDC wrote of the event. However, Mr. Dien also admitted that sometimes he did not comply with research safety rules. In 2017, Mr. Dien told the state newspaper Wuhan Evening News that he once forgot his personal protective equipment, so he had to be isolated at home for 2 weeks after being shot in the body by bat urine. On several other occasions, he got bat blood on his skin while trying to control the animal with forceps, Mr. Dien said. On February 3, 2020, Mr. Dien’s team continued to appear in the journal Nature with early-stage clinical descriptions of a corona virus patient in Wuhan. The team’s research indicates that bats can be a host for pathogens. But when Covid-19 spread, Mr. Dien became quiet. March 2020, the state newspaper Health Times An anonymous source said Mr. Dien was not infected with corona virus. According to the article, Mr. Dien was in a bad mood because of rumors about whether he was patient zero. According to a report at the end of March by the WHO expert team, the Wuhan CDC denied storing or experimenting with bat viruses before the pandemic took place. However, in a video, Mr. Dien said he had been to dozens of bat caves and studied 300 types of virus vectors. Also from March, Mr. Dien no longer spoke in public. This highlights the challenge of an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19: Many of the people who might have had key information in Wuhan are now silent. Mr. Dien continued to research during this time. In August 2020, Mr. Dien was a co-author on a study on ticks. Another of his November 2020 studies focused on antibiotic resistance genes in fish. Mr. Dien no longer speaks or publishes research on bats.

One theory is that the virus came from a bat-like animal. The virus then passes to another animal that has close contact with humans and infects them. The second theory suspects that the SARS-CoV-2 virus leaked from a chemical laboratory in Wuhan, China – where the first patient with Covid-19 was recorded. This hypothesis has been rejected many times, even by the WHO team of experts who came to Wuhan to investigate and rejected this hypothesis. However, in recent weeks, this question has been dug up again. Both of these hypotheses still have no reasonable answer, creating a controversy among scientists. The focus of public opinion The Wuhan Institute of Virology specializes in the study of pathogens in nature that are capable of infecting humans – causing novel diseases and high mortality. The Institute has collected many samples from wild animals for experiments to assess the vulnerability of humans to a variety of animal viruses. The institute has carried out numerous studies on bat viruses since the 2002 SARS outbreak, which claimed the lives of 774 people worldwide. Years after a strenuous search, scientists discovered a virus similar to the one that causes SARS exists in a bat cave in southwestern China. To reduce the risk of pathogens accidentally escaping, the facility had to enforce a series of stringent procedures, such as protective clothing or air filtration systems. However, even the most stringent measures cannot eliminate the risk of the virus leaking into the environment. Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: South China Morning Post. For some scientists, the spread of pathogens by a careless laboratory worker is a plausible theory that explains how the pandemic began. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is located right near the Huanan seafood market – the outbreak is considered the most likely to transmit the virus from animals to humans. The location between the two immediately raised suspicions. Many people are even more suspicious in the context that the animal that carries the disease has not been identified and the Chinese government repeatedly refuses to allow the investigation of the scenario that Covid-19 is a leaked product from a laboratory. The scientists developed the hypothesis based on concerns about the risks associated with laboratory research, clues in the virus genome, and information from the institute’s studies. The Wuhan Institute of Virology insists that its laboratory does not have a virus closely related to SARS-CoV-2 – the origin of the Covid-19 outbreak. This hypothesis was repeatedly rejected, and was forgotten for some time. Until May 23, Wall Street Journal Citing a confidential US report, it was revealed that in November 2019, before China reported its first Covid-19 cases, some researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized. . Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stated on May 24 that the article was “completely untrue”. The ability to transmit viruses from animals to humans A larger number of scientists believe that the virus that causes Covid-19 is of natural origin because there is no scientific evidence to support the scenario of a leak from a laboratory. Kristian G Andersen, a scientist at Scripps Research, who has done extensive research on coronaviruses, Ebola and other pathogens transmitted from animals to humans, says similar natural gene sequences are present in viruses as well. corona. Many new diseases in the past originated in bats. Photo: SCMP. In addition, from a historical perspective, a number of new diseases that have emerged in the past century have been traced back to human interactions with wild and domestic animals, including SARS (bats), MERS-CoV. (camels), Ebola (bats or primates) and Nipah viruses (bats). However, under any scenario, there is not enough evidence to prove that the other scenario cannot happen. 24 scientists recently sent a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) demanding a rigorous, independent investigation, arguing that an international investigation into China in early February was insufficient. deep. US President Joe Biden on May 26 also ordered intelligence forces to “double efforts” to investigate the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic and report the results of the investigation within 90 days.

Man-made virus? Oncologist at St George’s Hospital in London, Professor Angus Dalgleish, and Norwegian virologist and president of Immunor Pharmaceuticals Birger Sørensen, revealed they had found evidence. originally about this last year, but was ignored by academia. Accordingly, during their research, the two experts concluded that “the possibility that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the result of the development process in the natural environment is very low”. Both said this virus could be genetically modified at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (China) and a part of scientists tried to hide information about the origin of this virus. According to the two experts, they have found “special traces” that show that the virus is not of natural origin. This clue is a row of four amino acids, which generate a positive charge and bind to negative human cells. “According to the laws of nature, you cannot have four positive amino acids in a row. The only way to have this is to create it yourself,” Dalgleish said. He added that he and Sørensen had found evidence of human impact on the formation of the virus and made it look like a mutation in nature. Two British and Norwegian experts said the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 pandemic, was created in a laboratory. Photo: THE NATION In addition, the two scientists also looked at studies on China, some in collaboration with US universities, to find out how tools for creating viruses were developed. Sputnik news. They conclude that most of the studies above use a “functional development” research approach, which involves manipulating natural viruses in the laboratory to make them more infectious, allowing scientists to study their potential effects on humans. “We believe the virus was designed and created in a functional development approach. They changed the virus, then tried to find its mutated form years ago,” Dalgleish said. “A natural viral pandemic would mutate gradually and become more infectious, but less pathogenic. Many people predicted the COVID-19 pandemic would be like this, but that doesn’t seem to happen,” – the two scientists said. Two experts: Discovery during vaccine research According to the two experts, “it seems that the documents about SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan are confidential and related information has been destroyed”, so both “face huge gaps”. in the data will probably never be filled”. Mr Dalgleish and Mr Sørensen first raised their concerns last summer, after discovering suspicious features of the deadly virus while working on a vaccine against COVID-19. Security guards stand outside the Institute of Virology in Wuhan City, China. Photo: REUTERS The information about the research paper of the two scientists comes in the context of the US repeatedly calling for another investigation into the origin of the pandemic before China has always denied the possibility that the virus leaked from another in their laboratories, according to the South China Morning Post . On May 25, the Senate Intelligence Committee and the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee announced that they were conducting their own investigation into the origin of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how the US government responded to the crisis. this panic. US officials are concerned that “the lack of cooperation and transparency in the information provided by the Chinese government will continue to adversely affect any efforts to determine the source of the virus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic. “. A day earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian once again rejected the idea that the virus causing the COVID-19 epidemic originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, asserting that “there is no which leak” occurred. “The World Health Organization (WHO) team of experts went to investigate all the places they wanted to go, interviewed anyone they asked, and were satisfied with the results,” Zhao said.

Wuhan Institute of Virology, China. Photo: AFP 59 leading biological laboratories in the world The Wuhan Institute of Virology is among the most secure, often referred to as biosafety level 4, or BSL4. Such laboratory facilities are built to operate safely and securely against some of the world’s deadliest viruses and bacteria, which can cause serious diseases for which there is no cure or vaccine. . “There are air-conditioning filtration systems that prevent viruses from escaping through exhaust gases and wastewater, which are treated with chemicals or high temperatures to make sure nothing remains. at,” Gregory Koblentz, director of the Biosafety Program at George Mason University, told AFP. In addition, the researchers themselves are professionally trained and wear protective gear when conducting experiments. There are about 59 such biological laboratories around the world, a report co-led by Mr. Koblentz published this week said. “There are no mandatory international standards for safety, security and accountability standards for diseases,” the report said. Accidents can happen at any time Accidents can sometimes happen in even the world’s top facilities and are even more likely to happen in thousands of lower-end labs. The H1N1 virus – the same type of virus that caused the 1918 pandemic was leaked in 1977 in the Soviet Union and China, and then spread around the world. In 2001, a mentally challenged employee at an American laboratory sent parcels of anthrax spores across the United States, killing five people. Two Chinese researchers were exposed to the SARS virus in 2004 and spread the disease to others, killing one person. Lynn Klotz, a senior scientist at the Centers for Arms Control and Disarmament, has raised the alarm about the threat to the public from such experimental facilities. “Human errors account for more than 70% of errors in laboratories,” the researcher said. Controversy entitled “Strengthening the research function” There are controversies within the US government, which also funds the Wuhan coronavirus research program, and some independent scientists over whether gains of function – GOF) should be conducted. GOF studies focus on tailoring pathogens to make them more infectious, more dangerous, or easier to escape from treatments and vaccines – all with the aim of learning how to cope with them more effectively. This field has been going on for a long time. The debate heated up when, in 2011, two research groups showed that they could make avian influenza viruses more infectious in animals. Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch told AFP he was concerned that “would create a strain of the virus that, if it infects laboratory workers, not only kills the person but causes a pandemic”. “This study was not requested and does not contribute to the development of drugs or vaccines,” said molecular biologist Richard Ebright of Rutgers University, one of the strongest opponents of the type of research. this said. In 2014, the US government announced it would stop funding such research, but the process was criticized for its lack of transparency and trust. Late last year, a non-profit organization received funding from the US for research “to predict the risk of virus escaping from the laboratory” from corona virus in bats to humans in Wuhan. This week, before a question from Congress, experts Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci of the US National Institutes of Health also denied conducting activities to strengthen research functions.

Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: Daily Mail According to the Daily Mail (UK), this incredible mistake was revealed in a screenshot sent to a Chinese medical journal. The photo shows information about a 61-year-old woman, known as “patient Su”, who lives about a mile from one of Wuhan’s main virus research facilities. The woman was also near a train station along the high-speed rail line that played a key role in spreading the virus around the city of 11 million people. This latest finding was revealed through an interview by a medical journal with the scientist tasked with compiling China’s official data on cases. In an interview with Health Times, Yu Chuanhua, Professor of Biostatistics at Wuhan University, said there were 47,000 confirmed and suspected cases on the national database of COVID-19 by the end of the year. February 2020. Among these, there was a death of a patient at the end of September 2019. “There is data on a patient who became ill on September 29. The data shows that the patient has not been given a nucleic test and a clinical diagnosis. It is possible that this is a suspected case of COVID-19. The patient died. This data has not been confirmed,” added Mr. Yu. The data also shows that two other suspected COVID-19 cases were reported to doctors in Wuhan on November 14 and November 21, 2019, along with several other cases prior to December 8, the period. China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of the first cases. Inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Hubei Province, China. Photo: AP The Health Times article includes screenshots of information of two suspected COVID-19 cases in November 2019 on the database of Professor Yu. Although the patient’s personal details have been obscured, some information can still be seen, including the hospital name and home address. Information shows that patient Su has been treated at Rongjun hospital in Wuhan. Both the home address and the hospital where this patient is being treated are in Hongshan District, Wuhan City, where many studies on SARS-CoV-2 virus related to bats have been conducted in laboratories. experience. The area where patient Su lives and is treated is more than 20 kilometers from the Huanan seafood market, which Beijing initially believed to be the source of the COVID-19 infection. The second patient discovered in November 2019 is a 62-year-old man named Wang, who is being treated at Hanyang Hospital. However, Professor Yu has requested that the information published in the newspaper be retracted, claiming that the dates were entered incorrectly and that all other suspected cases before December 8, 2019 need further verification. . Wuhan Institute of Virology, Hubei Province, China. Photo: EPA This detail was discovered by Gilles Demaneuf, a member of the Drastic digital operations team, who discovered many facts that are said to contradict the theory that COVID-19 is an infectious disease from animals. Chinese objects. “We were able to accurately determine the name, age, and address of the suspected COVID-19 case very early, almost a month before the first case was officially announced. This address is right next to metro line 2 and not far from the hospital that treated some of the other first cases,” Demaneuf said. The railway system, which carries 1 million people a day, is linked to a seafood market, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and an international airport, he said. Demaneuf argues that these new findings show that more clues can be accessed if there are continued and determined efforts to evaluate the hypothesis that the virus leaked from the laboratory. The Wall Street Journal last week also cited a US intelligence report that said three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized for medical care in November 2019, a few months before China announced it. announced the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in this country. However, China has denied the above information. Beijing insists the WHO-led investigation team concluded after a visit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in February that the possibility of a virus leak from the laboratory was “extremely unlikely”.

Front of Wuhan Institute of Virology Photo: Reuters This information adds weight to calls for a more complete investigation into the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic virus escaped from this laboratory. The above content is mentioned in a report from the Donald Trump administration, which said that some researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a center dedicated to research on corona viruses and other pathogens, had fell ill in the fall of 2019 “with symptoms resembling COVID-19 and common seasonal flu.” U.S. officials and former officials with intelligence on researchers in Wuhan expressed differing views on the strength of the evidence outlined in the report. One said that information was provided by an international partner and could be important, but needed further investigation. Others claim that the information is very reliable. “The information that we have comes from a variety of sources and is of very good quality. It is very accurate. What the report doesn’t talk about is the exact reason why they got the disease,” the source told Journal City Wall . Many epidemiologists and virologists believe that November 2019 was the time when SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic, began to spread in Wuhan. Beijing says that the first confirmed case in the city fell ill on December 8. China has repeatedly denied that the virus escaped from laboratories. On May 23, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited a report published by an investigation team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) after a visit to the Wuhan Institute of Viruses (WIV), saying that the virus leaked from the laboratory. experience is extremely unlikely. “The US continues to hype the theory of lab leaks. Are they really interested in traceability or are they trying to distract? China’s Foreign Ministry said. However, WIV does not share with the WHO team raw data, diaries and lab records where a lot of coronaviruses from bats are studied, the animals that many scientists consider most likely to be the animals. origin of the virus. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the team had not yet fully tested the lab leak hypothesis, so further investigation was still needed. There is an opinion that the article of Journal City Wall appearing before the upcoming WHO meeting was to heat the matter up again. But the Biden administration declined to comment on the intelligence report, saying only that all credible theories about the origins of the pandemic should be investigated by WHO and international experts. Abnormal point Shi Zhengli, the leading expert on bat coronaviruses at the WIV, said that the virus did not come out of the place where she was working. She told the WHO investigation team that all staff here were negative for COVID-19 antibodies and there were no staff changes in the corona virus research team. In February, Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, a member of the investigation team who traveled to Wuhan, told NBC News that some WIV staff members fell ill in the fall of 2019, but she attributed it to common seasonal illnesses. “It’s normal to get sick from time to time. Nothing outstanding. Maybe 1 or 2 people. It’s not a big deal,” Koopmans said. Beijing even suggested that the virus could have originated outside of China, including a laboratory at the Fort Detrick military facility in the US state of Maryland, and then called on WHO to investigate the first COVID-19 outbreaks. in other countries. But most scientists see no evidence to support the idea the virus originated in a US military lab, and the White House says there is no credible reason to investigate the facility. . It is normal for Chinese people to go to the hospital for medical examination and treatment when they are sick, because family doctor services are not yet common. COVID-19 and seasonal flu, although two different illnesses, share many of the same symptoms, such as fever, cough, and aches and pains. However, it is worth noting that members of the same corona virus research team were sick and had to be hospitalized with similar symptoms, before the disease was detected. David Asher, a former US official who led the State Department task force to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, told a Hudson Institute panel in March that he suspects suspected that the WIV researchers were sick at the same time from the common seasonal flu. “I highly doubt that three people with good protective clothing working in a third-degree lab caught the flu and were hospitalized with severe symptoms in the same week that had nothing to do with the coronavirus,” he said. Asher said, these three people could be the “first known COVID-19 outbreak”.

The study said the new virus is more distantly related to the previously found strains of the coronavirus that cause Covid-19. However, this new virus has a high degree of similarity in gene sequence with the virus that causes Covid-19. This is the first time that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has released detailed information about the virus it has collected several years ago. “These results suggest that the coronavirus we detected from bats may be just the tip of the iceberg,” the team wrote in the paper. Wuhan Institute of Virology, China. Photo: AFP. Many research results have never been published Through the paper, the institute also provides more insight into the viruses they host. The latest study examines eight viruses collected during a 2015 survey trip to a town in southwestern China’s Yunnan province. During this trip, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology collected more than 1,000 specimens from bats living in and around the cave over a three-year period. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has studied the corona virus found in bats. Photo: South China Morning Post. This trip started after a few workers came to the cave and became ill. After testing, the doctors said they had an unprecedented virus, so they started looking for a virus from bats. The team also added that the group of workers at that time did not have Covid-19. Previously, in the journal Nature published in November 2020, Wuhan researchers said that during their exploration of the cave, they found 9 viruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome and Covid- 19. One of them is RaTG13 – published by researchers in February – still considered the closest “relative” to Sars-CoV-2, the cause of Covid-19. The remaining eight viruses were newly classified in the May 21 paper. The origin of Covid-19 is still unclear and controversial. Doubt In February, after a trip to China, international experts investigating the origin of Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that the virus probably came from a bat-like animal. . The virus then passes to another animal that has close contact with humans and infects them. Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: SCMP. However, critics, including the head of WHO, say the investigation is not deep enough. May 23, Wall Street Journal Citing a confidential US report, it was revealed that in November 2019, before China reported its first Covid-19 cases, some researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized. . Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stated on May 24 that the article was “completely untrue”. Article by Wall Street Journal was released ahead of the WHO meeting, which is expected to discuss in detail the next phase of the investigation into the origins of Covid-19. The amazing variety of corona virus virus Evolutionary biologist Edward Holmes at the University of Sydney said that the paper by researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology provides further evidence that the Wuhan laboratory does not have a virus closely related to Sars -CoV-2 – the origin of the Covid-19 outbreak. A database of hundreds of thousands of bats is needed to see a complete picture of the coronavirus. Photo: AP. “This paper shows us the incredible diversity of coronaviruses found in animals in the wild,” added Mr Holmes. He and another team of experiments also found four viruses in bats closely related to Sars-CoV-2 among more than 400 samples collected in Yunnan province. The area is considered by WHO to be an important place for further research into the origins of Covid-19, although it remains unclear whether research is ongoing. The May 21 article also highlights recent work that highlights the possibility that Covid-19 is related to another species, besides bats. A pangolin coronavirus has the ability to effectively bind to human cells, distinct from the bat viruses associated with Sars-CoV-2 that have been identified so far. However, according to Maciej Boni, an associate professor at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Pennsylvania State University (USA), there are not enough viruses yet to see an overall picture. “We need to have databases of hundreds of thousands of viruses in bats. Until then, we won’t have many new discoveries about the origin of Sars-CoV-2,” he said. Satellite photos show that Covid-19 can spread in Wuhan from August 2019 According to a study from Harvard Medical School (USA), satellite photos of hospital parking lots in Wuhan show that the corona virus may have been spreading since August 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. Photo: Getty Images The United States and several countries are closer than ever to defeating COVID-19 thanks to progress in vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But the world still does not know how this deadly virus appeared, and there is a growing opinion from the scientific community that it does not happen naturally. The US is stepping up calls for more research and warning about the risks of future pandemics. Washington is also more open to weighing the theory that a mistake or failure in a Chinese laboratory caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the Chinese Government completely rejected this hypothesis and said that the dossier to trace the origin of the COVID-19 epidemic was closed. What’s new? According to CNN, a recent US intelligence report found that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019 and were hospitalized – a new detail on the severity of the symptoms. disease in these scientists. It is not clear whether the researchers at that time had COVID-19 but the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) vehemently rejected the report, considering it a lie to promote the hypothesis that the virus leaked from the laboratory. . Scientists who worked for the WIV previously said the institute had nothing to do with COVID-19 disease until December 30, 2021. On May 24, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied the information that three Wuhan researchers were hospitalized before the outbreak of COVID-19 and affirmed that this information was “completely untrue”. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian confirmed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus before December 30, 2019, and its staff so far have not been infected. Scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: AFP Meanwhile, on May 25, speaking at the US Congress, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the failure to fund previous research on Corona virus in bats in China. Quoc is a “negligence of duty”. According to Fauci, the US should have pursued to the place where the contact between animals and humans could lead to the spread of the virus between species. Dr. Fauci himself, the leading infectious disease expert in the US, said this week he did not believe the COVID-19 outbreak occurred spontaneously and prompted further investigation. A World Health Organization (WHO) adviser, Jamie Metzl, also said the leak hypothesis is possible, while scientists are “groping, creating and studying” the virus with the aim of vaccine development. “So I believe what could have happened was a leak, followed by a cover-up,” said Metzl, who served at the US State Department and the Atlantic Council during the US presidency. President Bill Clinton said. The conclusion is that further investigation is needed An in-depth study conducted by WHO in collaboration with the Government of China, published in March, explored the different possible origins of the COVID-19 epidemic and came to the conclusion that: although still It is not yet known how the disease originated, but it is likely that it spread to humans, either directly from bats, or more likely from an intermediate species that caught the virus from bats and then spread to humans. for human. Bats can be an intermediary that spreads the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans. Photo: NPR The WHO report called the laboratory leak theory “extremely unlikely”, citing the fact that no laboratory staff in Wuhan were infected before December 2020 as an argument against this hypothesis. After the WHO report was published, its officials still called for an additional and public investigation from the Chinese side. Meanwhile, a newly released US intelligence report shows that laboratory workers of the Wuhan Institute of Virology have been sick since before December. According to WHO adviser Jamie Metzl, in the early stages of the outbreak of the disease. when China did not warn the world appropriately, Chinese officials blamed the transmission on an initial hotspot, a seafood market in Wuhan, which at this point was essentially Is not right. This expert said that there is a lot of evidence that the Chinese government initially tried to cover up the existence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “Whatever the origin of the pandemic, the first month, when China was spending all its energy trying to cover things up rather than fixing the problem, allowed the fire in the furnace to cause a fire in the kitchen.” into a house fire and a worldwide fire,” said Metzl. The Wuhan Institute of Virology became the center of doubts about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Photo: Getty Images A group of well-known and experienced scientists also criticized the WHO report for not taking seriously the hypothesis that the virus leaked from the laboratory. According to them, this hypothesis was refuted within just a few pages of a hundred-page report published by WHO. The scientists wrote in the journal Science: “We must seriously consider the contagion hypotheses in the wild and in the laboratory until we have enough data.” Fear of a recurrence of a pandemic These “closed doors” have also helped conspiracy theories expand. Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton has promoted the idea that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was purposefully created as a biological weapon. But there’s no concrete evidence to back up that claim, and experts still say it’s unlikely. Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, told CNN it’s unlikely the Wuhan lab manipulated the virus to make it more contagious. but “we have to find out” the truth. Dr. Offit said that the world needs to do something to prevent another pandemic. “What I know is that they [Trung Quốc] must allow this [điều tra mở về nguồn gốc dịch]“This is now the third pandemic to emerge in the past 20 years,” said Mr. Offit. First there was SARS 1, then there was MERS. I think we can assume we’re not done with this yet.”

Tourist attractions across China are attracting large numbers of visitors from May 1 to May 5, creating an overcrowded scene rarely seen since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the photo, hundreds of tourists crowded at the Great Wall, about 60 km from the center of Beijing. This scene was also recorded at Hoang Hac Lau (Wuhan), Longmen cave (Luoyang), Tai mountain (Thai An)… Photo: People Visual. It is estimated that there are about 265 million journeys by road, train, boat and plane. The number exceeded 195 million in 2019, setting a new travel record for the May holiday of the country of billions of people. Photo: People Visual. Not only tourist sites, highways, train stations and airports also witnessed similar congestion. A resident surnamed Ma in Luoyang told the Global Times that it took him more than four hours for a typical 40-minute trip. “The only good thing is that the highway toll has been waived during the holiday season,” Ma said. Photo: People Visual. In the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, travel demand has increased and is estimated to be on par with 2019, when the epidemic had not yet appeared, according to traffic official Li Huaqiang. Photo: People Visual. In Wuhan, 11,000 people attended the Strawberry Music Festival on May 1. The two-day festival brings together local singers and bands on three stages at Wuhan’s Garden Expo park. Other Strawberry Music Festival events are also held in major cities, including Beijing, during the national holiday. Photo: Reuters. In 2020, this music event will only be held online due to the pandemic. “Last year, we were infected with the virus. It was not easy to get to where we are today. Everyone put in a lot of effort. So I feel extremely excited to be able to attend the festival. this,” said Gao Yuchen, a 23-year-old student in Wuhan. Photo: Reuters. Chinese authorities have warned that attractions should limit the number of visitors and have a ticketing system to control the flow of people. Travelers need to present a “health code” – a health record, an electronic schedule on a phone – to prove they are not at risk of spreading Covid-19 to others. Photo: People Visual. Of the 50 most searched terms on social media, 10 are about the holidays. Travelers often complain about crowding, overcrowding. Meanwhile, others share at home, staying away from crowds is still the best option. Photo: People Visual. Just before the holiday, China announced 16 more cases of the virus, down 13 cases from a day earlier. The country’s National Health Commission said all were immigrants. As of early May, China has more than 90,000 infections, the number of deaths from Covid-19 is 4,636. Photo: People Visual.

Mr. Lai The Nguyen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Mr. Dau Thanh Tung, Provincial Member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee witnessed the signing ceremony. Attending and witnessing the signing ceremony at the bridgehead of Thanh Hoa city were comrades: Lai The Nguyen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Head Thanh Tung, Member of Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of Provincial People’s Committee; representatives of relevant departments. Delegates attended the signing ceremony at the bridgehead of Thanh Hoa city. Cong Thanh 1x600MW coal-fired clean energy project, designed according to supercritical technology to improve power generation efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. According to the cooperation agreement, Trung Nam Electricity Design Institute will arrange for a commercial loan of about 1 billion USD to Cong Thanh Group to implement the project. With this cooperation agreement, the two sides expect that Cong Thanh 1x600MW Coal-fired clean energy project will be a green, clean, advanced thermal power project in harmony with nature; become a bridge for the two sides to cooperate in business, share and develop together. Trung Nam Electricity Design Institute is committed to focusing resources and techniques to implement the Project, meeting the requirements of a thermal power project using supercritical clean technology. Overview of the signing ceremony in Thanh Hoa. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Lai The Nguyen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee congratulated Trung Nam Institute of Electricity Design and Cong Thanh Group on reaching capital arrangement agreements, creating an important first step to develop the project. deploying 1x600MW Cong Thanh coal-fired clean energy project. This is one of the important projects for the development of Nghi Son Economic Zone in particular and Thanh Hoa in general. Comrade Lai The Nguyen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee spoke at the signing ceremony. Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lai The Nguyen expressed his hope that the parties would reach further cooperation agreements to soon implement the project in reality. Thanh Hoa will create all the most favorable conditions for the parties to implement the project according to the plan, contributing to the common development.

More than a year after the Covid-19 epidemic left the city paralyzed, Wuhan has returned to its daily routine as one of the most famous tourist centers in southern China. The number of visitors decreased compared to the previous service, but tourism services have recovered almost to normal. The night markets, the old streets were crowded with people passing by. Nightlife is also a part of Wuhan culture, attracting tourists from all over the world. Tourists take pictures of Hoang Hac Long – a famous work in poetry – from an old street. The work is one of the three oldest towers in China, with a lifespan of nearly 1,800 years. Local people still have to wear masks when going to crowded places such as shopping malls, shopping streets, and food. Street food shops bustling activities. Wuhan is famous for night markets such as Huquan, Baocheng, Dacheng … located along the banks of the Yangtze River. Different from the image of cashew in the pandemic, the pedestrian street in the center of Chuhe Hanjie is famous for being filled with shopping and dining tourists. The light path here becomes more and more sparkling with millions of tiny light bulbs. Located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han Shui rivers, Wuhan is like the Chicago of China, possessing modern transportation infrastructure, connecting with other tourist cities. Wuhan is known as the most beautiful cherry blossom viewing spot in the country with a billion people, in addition, the food here is also in the “number of cheeks” with many attractive street food such as tofu and dry noodles. Spicy duck neck, spicy hot pot, steamed Wuchang fish … Unlike the sweet-tasting Cantonese dish or spicy Sichuan cuisine, Wuhan specialties have mild spice flavor and cooked fish dishes. delicate. The city government also promotes many activities to attract visitors to Wuhan, such as discount tickets, free opening … However, like many other localities, tourists to Wuhan must also ensure health with green QR code (healthy people). (According to the Star)

A song of “Mulan Ci” has been circulating for more than 1,500 years. Because it was written into Chinese textbooks, the image of Mulan has been deeply rooted in the hearts of each of us in China. In Wuhan Huangpi Mulan Grassland, there is a large-scale live performance “A Song of the Clouds”. The performance reproduced the heroic story of Hua Mulan through vivid scenes. Watching a hero’s hymn in the hero city, a heroic image of flesh and blood, sentimentality and righteousness was once again presented before our eyes, which aroused our strong sympathy. “War Song in the Clouds” has been the most popular project among tourists in Mulan Grassland since the first month of 2018. “War Song in the Clouds” has invested 100 million yuan, directed by Mr. Mei Shuaiyuan, the founder of China’s landscape performances, famous director and national first-class screenwriter. The costumes, props, and music are all created by an excellent professional team in China. When I came to Mulan Grassland in 2019, I saw an afternoon show. In 2020, the performance was suspended due to the epidemic. After more than a year of precipitation and gestation, “Warsong in the Clouds” was reborn, with a magnificent upgrade of investment, and not only continued the previous excitement, In 2021, Ching Ming Festival will launch a new night scene. The visual effects will be more shocking under the rendering of lighting. It will give the audience a wonderful audio-visual feast and make the hero’s story more vivid and touching. At the performance site, a 15-meter-high gate tower was built in the style of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the story unfolded on the 18,000-square-meter ancient battlefield. The story begins with a peaceful and peaceful scene where the people in Yunzhong City live and work in peace and contentment. Mulan competes with her father. His father is unable to do what he wants and feels that time is not forgiving. At this time, Ma Feishu came quickly, Rouran invaded, the border was urgent, the court conscripted troops, the prefect of Yunzhong City mobilized the people to join the army, impassioned. I saw the military post last night, the Khan is more powerful, the military book has twelve volumes, and the volume has the name of the grandfather. Grandpa has no eldest son, Mulan has no eldest brother, so he is willing to be a pommel horse for the city, and from then on levying for him. Buy horses in the East Market, saddles in the West Market, bridles in the South, and long whips in the North. Once I left my grandfather and went to stay next to the Yellow River, I didn’t hear the voice of my grandmother calling girls, but heard the water splashing and splashing in the Yellow River. When I left the Yellow River, I arrived at Black Mountain in the evening. I didn’t hear the voice of my grandfather calling a girl, but Hu Qiming tweeted when I heard Yanshan. The familiar Mulan’s speech echoed in the performance scene again, and the scene of arranging soldiers on the battlefield brought us to the era of golden horse and iron horse 1500 years ago. The following riding performance set off a small climax. The superb skills of the actors opened the audience’s eyes. It turns out that there are so many tricks in riding. When Rouran struck, the people in Yunzhong City ran away and were surrounded by enemy cavalry regiments. In a crisis, General Mulan led his army to arrive. The infantry carried shields in a circle to protect the people from evacuation, and the warlord mounted a horse to meet the enemy. The next wonderful horse battle was staged. The actors are not only adept at riding, but also able to make various fighting actions right away, interpreting the fight with real swords and guns in the ancient battlefield heartily, making the audience nervous and sweating. General Mulan, a white armored man with high martial arts, superb riding skills, brave and vigorous, fought against several enemy generals for more than a dozen rounds, did not lose the wind, Rouran quickly withdrew to the city when the situation was not good. The Rouran soldiers who had lost the first battle caught the prefect, but were reprimanded by the prefect. Rouran soldiers threw the prefect down the tower. The prefect’s sacrifice made the officers and soldiers of the Wei army led by Mulan heartbroken. At this time, snowflakes floated on the scene, and the scene was enveloped in grief and indignation. Atmosphere. “Mulan Ci” described Hua Mulan’s battle only as “Ten thousand miles to go to the battle, Guanshan is like flying. Shuoqi passes on the gold, cold shines on the iron clothes.” Just four sentences. In “Warsong in the Clouds”, this segment is shown in more detail and story. The love for the country, the elders and the compatriots, and the hatred for the enemy are vividly expressed through the unfolding of the storyline, especially in the night scene, with the flying snowflakes and blue lights rendered, with the sound of music and singing, the atmosphere of the scene makes the audience even more enthusiastic. Of moving. Then the thrilling siege began. Under the command of General Mulan, the catapult, the siege engine, the knife cart, and the smasher entered the battlefield one after another. Suddenly, the gunpowder was filled with smoke, and the fire blazed into the sky, and General Mulan led the Wei army into Yunzhong City, defeating Rouran. The battle was fought heartily and heartily. When General Mulan and the soldiers celebrated the victory, the audience followed suit. At this time, the “Mulan Ci” was read in an impassioned manner: “Come back to see the emperor, the emperor sits in the Mingtang. Twelve rounds of strategy, rewards hundreds of thousands. Khan asks what he wants, Mulan does not need Shang Shulang, willing to ride thousands of miles, Send the children back to their hometown.” After the victory, General Mulan returned to his hometown. Yunzhong City restored its former peace. The people in the city walked out of the city gate to welcome the hero’s return. When they saw his father, Mulan walked down and bowed down. The hero’s sons and daughters moved all the people present. Audience. At the end of the performance, “Mulan Ci” was sung with a soft melody. Mulan dressed in military uniform and Mulan changed into her usual daughter’s costume appeared at the same time. The actors waved to the audience and a heroic hymn came to a successful conclusion. The excitement has not yet calmed down, we are still immersed in this epic heroic story, the meaning is still unfinished. The three chapters of “Warsong in the Clouds”, “Riding a Horse and Joining the Army”, “Mountains and Rivers of Blood”, and “Running on a Horse” are tightly connected, and the plot is ups and downs and exciting. This performance was the biggest gain from the trip to Mulan Grassland, and it was also the deepest touch. This is a top-level audio-visual enjoyment and spiritual feast, a tribute to heroes, and a good inheritance and development of Mulan culture. Mulan grassland play strategy: Mulan Grassland is the only AAAAA-level grassland scenic spot in Central China. It is located in Niejiagang, Wangjiahe, Huangpi District, Wuhan. It is less than 40 kilometers away from the urban area of ​​Wuhan. With convenient transportation and strong reception capacity, it has always been one of the popular scenic spots in Wuhan. Legend has it that Mulan Grassland was the place where General Mulan learned to ride and shoot when he was young. When he returned from the battle, many soldiers followed. In order to relieve the homesickness of these soldiers from the northern grasslands, General Mulan placed them here, soldiers. I am grateful to the general for his thoughtfulness and call this grassland “Mulan Grassland”. To Mulan Grassland, taking a small train is a very interesting way to visit. It not only saves the labor of walking, but also sightseeing all the way. There are four stations on the small train, one of which is Yunzhong Town, where the performance of “War Song in the Clouds” is performed. In the spring breeze, the trees are green, the flowers are blooming, and there is life everywhere, and the scenery changes outside the car window, which is pleasing to the eye. In addition to the small train, there are horse riding, archery, grass sliding, zip line, go-karting, mountain biking, kite flying, hot air balloon, paragliding, jungle crossing, beehive maze, rainbow slide, cute pet paradise, cliff swing, Guns and bullets, helicopters, water parks, torrents, bobo balls, water bikes… and more than 20 amusement items, enough to play for a whole day. In the night of Mulan Grassland, there are not only the “Warsong in the Clouds” night show, but also wonderful performances in the Performing Arts Plaza. The rich ethnic style “Sacrifice Music and Dance” bonfire ceremony, the fire tree silver flower is dizzying, and then the actors and the audience interacted, jumped together, and together Hi. The large-scale fantasy music firework show illuminates the night of the grassland, and the journey of Mulan grassland ends in a happy painting. Mulan Grassland Food Guide: Mulan Grassland is very convenient for dining. There is a barbecue area specially opened for tourists. From noon to night, people come and go, and all kinds of smells come in. The snack street next to the Performing Arts Plaza fills the streets with fragrance, stimulating the appetite of people passing by. To the Mulan Grassland, you must taste the prairie-style delicacies. In the Prairie Restaurant, roasted whole lamb and grilled skewers, horse milk wine, Mongolian flavor and Huangpi local characteristics are full of ceremonial feelings. Let us “foodies” look forward to a day and finally got our wish. Where to stay in Mulan Grassland: The Mulan Junzhai Tent Hotel is full of prairie style. There are 49 military tents, large and small, including 30 standard rooms and 19 double-bed rooms. The upgraded tent rooms are fully equipped with air-conditioning, partitioned showers, and five-star toilets, which have the freshness of camping and the comfort of a hotel. The transparent roof in the tent can lie on the bed to count the stars, visit the Mulan grassland, live in the Mulan Junzhai, feel Mongolian customs, and realize a grassland dream. In addition to the military account hotel, there are two hotels near the scenic spot, Mulan Grassland Resort Villa and Heyun Building. The rooms are clean and tidy, and the big bed is very comfortable. You can overlook the grassland scenery upstairs. It is very convenient to go out to the scenic spot. Several villas next to the hotel are also provided for tourists to stay. In addition, at the entrance of Mulan Grassland Scenic Area, there is a new grassland village with two and three-story buildings, which not only provide local food and beverages, but also farmhouses run by villagers. stay. Mulan grassland traffic strategy: bus routes: Hankou Railway Station Metro Station Exit B No. 292 (Diaotai Road Passenger Transport Center) P801 Light Rail Line 1 Hankou North Station, transfer to bus P3 (Diaotai Road Passenger Transport Center) P801 Self-driving route: Daihuang Expressway: Hankou Zhuye Mountain-Daihuang Expressway-the second exit of Huangpi Carousel Huangpi Avenue-Fire Tower Line-Scenic Spot Wu Ma Expressway: Wuhan City-Huangpi Dongxia Expressway-Fire Tower Line-Scenic Spot (Recommended) Airport Expressway: Wuhan City-Huangpi Turntable, the second exit Huangpi Avenue-Fire Tower Line-Scenic Spot (recommended)

Wuhan Institute of Virology – which is hypothesized to be the source of Covid-19 infection. (Source: Reuters) According to a report published on 30/3, a joint investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and China conducted on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing acute respiratory infections (Covid- 19) concluded that it was “extremely unlikely” that the virus had escaped a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still questionable The report concludes that the virus is most likely transmitted to humans from an unknown animal, while contradicting the theory made by former US President Donald Trump that the Chinese lab may be the birthplace. virus. While China praised the report, 14 countries including Japan, the US, Australia, the UK, Canada and South Korea have expressed “common concern” about the study and claim that the investigation has was “delayed a long time and lacked access to complete data and originals”, and called for “a fast, efficient, transparent, science-based and independent process” to produce international assessments in case of future outbreaks. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said: “All theories are still being discussed. Although the team has concluded that the laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, it requires requiring further investigation, it is likely that additional missions including many experts will have to be deployed. According to WHO Director-General, the inspection team should have access to full data including biological samples from at least September 2019. He asserted that this report is a very important beginning and not the end. “We have not found the origin of the virus yet, and must continue to follow the science without missing any details”, Mr. Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed. While the majority of the report focuses on molecular studies, viral evolution, and potentially host animals, the report on potential laboratory leaks does. Very sketchy presentation. Although the host origin of SARS-CoV-2 is widely recognized, some scientists still maintain the view that this virus may have been collected and stored in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, despite the fact that Chinese scientists have rejected this claim. Viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 were reported to have been found in bats and pangolins, but an intermediate host for transmission to humans has yet to be identified. This report is based on a study conducted by an international team of experts that mink and cats, which are known to be susceptible animals, may be one of the potential hosts. Need more information The Trump administration once hypothesized that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have come from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and claimed that some researchers there had already had Covid-19-like symptoms in the fall. year 2019. However, the team said they found no evidence to support this claim during a January-February 2021 field trip to Wuhan City to investigate the source of the virus. The Chinese authorities have stated that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have been introduced into the country through imported frozen food. Such transmission is possible but cannot be verified as imported frozen products are not considered a potential path of infection during early spread, the team report said. viruses and there were no tests for them at the time. Matthew Kavanagh, a researcher at Georgetown University, said the report said more in-depth information about the origin of the virus, but more information is needed. “Obviously, the Chinese government does not provide all the necessary data, and until they do this, the conclusions will be very difficult,” said researcher Matthew Kavanagh. The reporting team included experts from many different countries and officials from WHO, World Veterinary Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The team, after being quarantined for two weeks in Wuhan in mid-January 2021, inspected the research institute and other places believed to be related to the virus such as seafood markets. They also had discussions with Chinese experts. Representatives of the WHO and China expert group at a joint press conference in Wuhan on February 9. (Source: Reuters) “Opposite” views Jesse Bloom, an expert on evolutionary biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (USA), said he does not believe that a lab leak is unlikely. The expert agrees that the virus naturally evolved to spread to humans, but he did not see any explanation in the report disproving the possibility that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could catch. source from a laboratory. Meanwhile, Mr. Peter Daszak, a member of the WHO expert group, a British ecologist in infectious diseases, and the executive director of the Ecological Health Coalition – a disease prevention organization in New York. , has voiced opposition to the flow of comments criticizing the research results and the degree of cooperation of China. Mr. Peter Daszak said that the lab leak hypothesis “has political purposes from the very beginning”. Dr. Daszak added that the WHO team of experts was not prohibited from participating in interviews with scientists who were on the ground during the early stages of the pandemic. Mr. Daszak himself has also been accused of a conflict of interest due to collaborating research on the virus with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which he thinks an infectious disease ecologist should do. “We were in the right place because we knew there was a risk of disease outbreaks. We were working there with this exact team and it happened,” said Dr Daszak. A group of scientists not affiliated with WHO is calling for a new investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue that such an investigation needs to consider the possibility of the virus spreading from a laboratory in Wuhan or infecting people inside it. (synthetic)

Illustration. (Source: AP) According to updated data of Worldometers, as of 8:30 a.m. on April 8 (Vietnam time), the world recorded a total of 133,674,314 cases and 2,900,311 deaths caused by Covid-19. Of which, notably, India recorded a new record of the number of Covid-19 cases per day, with 126,315 cases, the highest level since the outbreak to date; while Brazil still records more than 3,700 Covid-19 deaths per day. Specifically, in the past day, the world recorded an additional 650,723 cases and 12,957 deaths due to Covid-19. India is the country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases per day in the world, followed by Brazil (90,973 cases), USA (75,183 cases), Turkey (54,740 cases), Argentina (22,039 cases). , Iran (20,954 cases), … In terms of Covid-19 deaths per day, Brazil is the leading country in the world with 3,733 cases, followed by the US (873 cases), India (684 cases), Poland (638 cases), Italy (627 cases ), Mexico (603 cases), … According to Worldometers, as of 8:30 am on April 8 (Vietnam time), the world has a total of 107,797,186 Covid-19 patients recovered while still 22,976,817 patients are being treated. In Germany, the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant detected in the UK is spreading strongly, with most of the new cases in Berlin and many other states being this variant. Of about 5,300 samples tested positive for Covid-19 in Berlin from March 29 to 4-4, the number of samples detected by the variant in the UK accounted for 86%. One month ago, the prevalence of this variant was less than 50% of cases. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced last week that the average UK variant infection rate is 88%. Two other variants discovered in South Africa and in Brazil have also appeared in Germany, but have not spread as strongly as the British variant. The Cuban government announced the results of the latest study showing that up to five genetic variants and six mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are present in the Caribbean island nation, including The strain was discovered in South Africa and the UK, and is highly infectious. According to the report, the above study was conducted between March and September 2020, showing that the variant of SARS-CoV-2 that appeared mainly in Cuba was D614G, which was derived from the original version being played. appeared in Wuhan (Wuhan), China for the first time. However, between the end of December 2020 and the end of March 2021, Cuban scientists identified a total of five variants and six mutants, of which variant D614G was reduced, in when the variants were discovered in California and South Africa (which appeared in Cuba in January) again increased sharply. In addition, the western Cuban provinces such as La Habana, Mayabeque and Pinar del Rio were the ones with the highest number of virus variants and mutations. Meanwhile, the National Infectious Diseases Institute of Japan (NIID) also analyzed data related to the new variant of the first detected SARS-CoV-2 virus in the UK, within 50 days from date. 1-2 to 22-3. The results showed that the spread of variant SARS-CoV-2 was 1.32 times higher than that of conventional strains, especially in Osaka, Hyogo, and Miyagi prefectures. From March 31 to April 6, Japan recorded 208 new cases of SARS-CoV-2, of which 75 cases were recorded in Osaka. According to Takaji Wakita, General Director of the National Infectious Diseases Institute, the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading strongly mainly in the Kansai region but tends to gradually spread to the capital region, including Tokyo. . Below are specific statistics on the number of cases and deaths caused by Covid-19 in some regions, countries and territories around the world according to Worldometers, up to 8:30 am, April 8 morning (Vietnam time). Male). Statistics of 5 countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world: USA: 31,637,243 cases, 572,849 deaths Brazil: 13,197,031 cases, 341,097 deaths India: 12,926,061 cases, 166,892 deaths France: 4,841,308 cases, 97,722 deaths Russia: 4,606,162 cases, 101,480 deaths Statistics of cases and deaths caused by Covid-19 in parts of the world: Europe: 40,820,041 cases, 936,655 deaths North America: 36,446,922 cases, 829,961 deaths Asia: 30,056,614 cases, 439,983 deaths South America: 21,954,603 cases, 577,670 deaths Africa: 4,336,587 cases, 114,877 deaths Oceania: 58,826 cases, 1,150 deaths

Regarding Wuhan, it is a big city with big rivers and lakes, and it is also Chushan, Chushui and Chuwen. It is both modern and classical, and it is different every day. Walking in this city of mountains and rivers, the architectural style is impressive and refreshing.

Wuchang and Hankou face each other across the river. In the depths of the modern high-rise buildings on both sides of the strait, each has its own clean blessed land. The view of Changchun in Wuchang and the Gude Temple in Hankou can be regarded as “wonderful architectural works”.

The former Taoist temple contains a Tibetan-style and Western-style building, making it the “only” among domestic Taoism.

In the latter temple, a Yuantong Temple is mixed with the characteristics of Eurasian religious architecture, which can be regarded as “a great wonder of Buddhist resorts” and “the first wonder of Buddhist temples in Han Dynasty”.

However, the two religious sites are difficult for outsiders to find, and it is also difficult to find them specially. Although they are scenic spots, their names are almost invisible in the list of tourist attractions in Wuhan.

Surprisingly, the locals in Wuhan are not familiar with them either. When I went to Gude Temple, I heard that many people in Wuhan didn’t know its existence. When I went to Changchun to view it, many people from Wuhan said that they often passed by and never went in to take a look.

The Buddha has a pure place, and the Tao has the law of nature. As far as spiritual cultivation is concerned, the two occupy the same position in my heart. The Gude Temple was founded in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty by a monk named Long Xi, who was originally named “Gude Maopeng”.

After two expansions, the post temple was renamed “Gude Temple”, which means “good spirits of the ancients, Pudu with virtue”.

However, I am too vulgar. I walked into this place. Although I have an ancient mind and nature, I can’t match the “Pudu with virtue”. But it is also because of the ancient nature of the heart that allowed me to find this hidden place in this big city. From the perspective of architecture alone, it is very literary and beautiful, and it can be called the most beautiful ancient temple in Wuhan.

The core building of the Gude Temple is the Yuantong Temple. The Eurasian religious architectural style of the Yuantong Temple makes Gude Temple unique. This temple also integrates the three major Buddhist schools of Mahayana, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism. This is in the Han Dynasty Buddhist Temple. Medium is very rare.

Unlike traditional Chinese temples with yellow tiles, red pillars, and cornices, the Yuantong Temple has both Gothic Christian church architectural styles, Roman Catholic churches, Byzantine Eastern Orthodox churches and Islamic mosque styles. The architectural culture of Chinese temples can be said to be unique.

Between the inner and outer walls of the palace, a circular corridor is designed with many square pillars. The round windows and long windows on the facade are in accordance with the architectural style of the Christian church. There are nine pagodas and pagodas on the hall.

The most unforgettable thing for me is the design of the window. Notre Dame de Paris appeared in my mind the first time I saw it.

Can’t help but be puzzled, why does Wuhan have such a variety of Buddhist temples? As a Buddhist temple, why does it have a Western religious architectural style? Was this kind of building formed at the beginning of the establishment of Gude Temple, or was it added in the later expansion?

In this regard, I checked a lot of information, but did not find the details.

The Gude Temple was first founded by Long Xi, but it was abbot of Master Changhong from 1914-1919, and it was expanded twice. Under the auspices of Master Hongchang, the Gude Temple grew stronger and stronger. Not only did it add additional buildings to the temple, but also began to design the Daxiong Hall, which was completed in 1913. In 1919, Master Luangpo took over as the presiding officer. In the autumn of 1921, the temple was expanded again, mainly by converting the original Mahaung Hall into Yuantong Hall and repairing other temples. This expansion lasted 13 years.

From this, it can be inferred that the appearance of Yuantong Palace today is likely to have appeared under the design of Master Hongchang, and has undergone more cultural modifications under the expansion of Master Longpo.

Many researchers believe that the Gude Temple was built in imitation of the Ananda Temple, a group of pagoda-type temples in the Indian Panawa architectural style, and the Yuantong Temple was built in the art form of the Ananda Temple in Myanmar. But when this style was built and why it was built like this, it has become a mystery due to the lack of information (it is a mystery to me, friends who know the details may wish to tell).

However, the Yuantong Palace is not entirely a foreign architectural style, but also has considerable Chinese elements.

This temple is dominated by the tower-type buildings of Southern Buddhism. The overall layout adopts the layout of the three courtyards of Han Buddhism and the seven halls. The facade of the temple adopts the traditional Chinese square shape. There are 96 lotus squares on the four sides of the roof Pier wait. In addition to the striking Western and Southeast Asian architectural styles, it also absorbs the architectural style and inspiration of Chinese Han Buddhism.

Compared with the Gude Temple, the Changchun Temple in Wuchang has a grand scale, a rigorous structure and a reasonable layout.

Changchun Temple is a typical Chinese Taoism. Most of its main buildings are completely Taoist. Only the Taoist pavilion makes Changchun Temple the “only” among the domestic Taoist buildings, and it is also the “Changchun Temple”. One of the three must-dos”.

The overall building color of Daozang Pavilion is white, and its eaves are in the Chinese style with angled cornices, but most of the structure is European style: huge glass windows, slender and straight columns, external corridors, cement “plastic” floral decorations… …As for the Tibetan architectural style, it is located in Daozang Pavilion (due to the closed doors and windows, it has not been appreciated).

Among them, the traditional flower decorations made of cement “stacked plastic” under the eaves have lost their craftsmanship. Perhaps this is the case. Daozang Pavilion’s “one unique” meaning is even longer.

Daozang Pavilion has this style, and it is said that there are two reasons for its formation.

One is that the imperial minister who helped build the Changchun View in the late Qing Dynasty was a Manchu and believed in Tibetan Buddhism. The craftsmen used were influenced by it and decorated the temple with the Tibetan mascot elephant and saffron motifs.

The second is that Hou Yongde, the host of Changchun Temple in the late Qing Dynasty, was originally a member of Zuo Zongtang’s generals. Because of the influence of Western thoughts, he combined European and Chinese styles to build the country’s only European-style building as the main Taoist building: Dao Zang Pavilion.

But compared to the Yuantong Hall of the Gude Temple, the Taoist Pavilion in Changchun Temple is simple and majestic, but not eye-catching. If I hadn’t checked the relevant information about Changchunguan in advance, I would have walked to this building, and I would have never thought that it is part of the Changchunguan complex.

After all, looking from the traditional Taoist building complex, it is somewhat “alien”, no matter its color or structure, it is hard to think of Taoism. There is only one such building in Taoism in China.

Daozang Pavilion is suspected to be a Daoist lecture hall, and it can be understood as a large-scale Daoist series of books containing many classics. The “Tao Zang” is just a collection of Taoist scriptures.

But when I checked relevant information on the Internet, I found that many important meetings and events were also held here, but the time was still long and the latest information was very scarce. It seems that if you want to figure out this Taoist Pavilion, you have to consult the Taoist in the Taoist temple or the library.

I first met rhododendrons in the northern mountains when I was a child. When spring came up to pick wild vegetables, I saw the crevices of the cliffs and mountains, and there were pink flowers swaying in the wind. They were particularly eye-catching among the green hills and green trees. , But I wanted to walk in but couldn’t climb up.

The adults told me that the azaleas bloom so beautifully, for fear of being damaged by people, that’s why they like to grow in the crevices of the cliffs. From then on, I also planted a dream of getting close to the rhododendron. I imagined that one day I could see a sea of ​​rhododendrons in the mountains that I could walk into.

Yunwu Mountain, located in the Mulan Cultural and Ecological Tourism Zone of Huangpi District in Wuhan’s “Back Garden”, is 60 kilometers away from the central city of Wuhan. It is a natural scenic area dominated by mountains and a national 5A-level tourist attraction.

When I came here at the beginning of April, it coincided with the blooming of more than 40,000 acres of azaleas in the mountains. I was fortunate to have a glimpse of the beauty. From then on, I realized my dream about the sea of ​​azaleas when I was young.

A local friend said that the time when you came was just right, and the azaleas in Yunwu Mountain were blooming. And another voice said that if you come to Huangpi to see the rhododendrons in Yunwu Mountain, you will come to Huangpi for nothing.

As a result, on a rainy day, I took the rain into the mountain and encountered the sea of ​​azaleas in the depths of Yunwu Mountain.

Yunwu Mountain is located in the northern mountainous area of ​​Wuhan. It has a mild climate and humid rain. It has an ecological environment suitable for the survival and reproduction of wild rhododendrons. As a result, there are 10,000 acres of wild rhododendrons and it is also a famous rhododendron research base in the country. Every late March, the rhododendrons in the mountains and plains begin to bloom, which is famous at home and abroad.

The Yunwu Mountain in the rain highlights the three characteristics of its name “Yunwu Mountain”. Take a scenic tour bus up the mountain to see the azaleas. The mountain road is winding, and as the mountain rises all the way, the mists and clouds appear and disappear. As the altitude increased, the azaleas on the roadside gradually increased, so that the passengers on the car could not help but cheer.

The tourist bus driver said, don’t worry, the most beautiful is still on the mountain.

Yunwu Mountain is famous for its majestic and majestic mountains. The main peak is 709 meters above sea level, which is the highest peak in Wuhan. On this highest peak is the world’s longest “cantilevered glass viewing platform” certified by the Guinness Book of Records. I visited Yunwu Mountain before in December, and at that time I also experienced the power of a Yunwu Mountain tourist bus driver.

On a vertical mountain road with a slope of almost 60 degrees and elbows turning on the way, tourists screamed in fright, but the tourist bus driver was calm and calm, admiring the driver’s superb driving skills.

When heading to the sea of ​​rhododendrons in the rain, the mountain roads rained continuously. The driver master said, “Here, the mountain roads are steep and rainy. We are already familiar with the road conditions. Don’t worry.”

How many azaleas are there in Yunwu Mountain? “Come to Yunwu Mountain, you can see a live azalea encyclopedia,” the person in charge of Mulan Yunwu Mountain Scenic Spot told everyone.

Rhododendron has a long history of cultivation in our country. There is a record of planting rhododendron as early as the Tang Dynasty in my country, and it has a history of more than 1,000 years.

It is reported that there are more than 900 varieties of azaleas in the world, more than 500 in my country, and more than 400 varieties of azaleas in Yunwu Mountain. The 10,000 acres of wild azaleas here are a wonder of China.

Mulan Yunwu Mountain Rhododendron blooms from March to May every year, and the wild rhododendrons are mainly spring and alpine rhododendrons. There are four core viewing spots in the scenic area: Huashan, Huahai, Huayang and Flower Avenue.

Huashan has the lowest elevation and the earliest flowers bloom; the sea of ​​flowers is continuous; Huayang has the highest topography and is a concentrated growth area of ​​alpine rhododendrons. The best spot for viewing flowers is the “Flower Viewing Avenue”, also known as the Rhododendron Valley. This is a well-preserved natural and primitive azalea forest belt with a length of about 5 kilometers. There are both wild azaleas and new artificially cultivated species along the way.

Rhododendrons in Yunwu Mountain are divided into early, middle and late blooming. From March to May, the azaleas at the three major flower viewing spots of Huashan, Huahai and Huayang will continue to bloom. The flowering period is as long as 3 months. Therefore, we missed March 4 to You can still see it in May.

In previous years, the scenic spot will hold the Rhododendron Festival during the blooming period of the azaleas. This year it was not held due to the epidemic, but it did not affect the enthusiasm of tourists to come to view the flowers, especially loved by flower lovers and photography enthusiasts.

Although it was raining, I sometimes saw young ladies in Hanfu come here to take pictures.

An oiled paper umbrella in the rain is more versatile with the weather, and the slim figure of the ladies in Hanfu makes the entire sea of ​​flowers more beautiful and moving, and others can’t help but take a few pictures.

It is said that there is a “hundred-year-old flower king” on the top of Yunwu Mountain. It is estimated that the tree is about 100 years old and the crown diameter can reach 5-6 meters after flowering. Due to the rush of time in the rain, I did not look for this century-old Kao, but in the Huahai Plank Road, there are azalea trees that grow into big trees everywhere. The whole branches are tilted above people’s heads like waterfalls, which is spectacular. .

It can only be described in two words: beautiful.

It turned out that the rhododendron I imagined is not more than half a meter tall like a grass. I never thought that it could be covered with mountains like this, and I have never seen a rhododendron that grows into a big tree.

This is why it is better to read thousands of books than to travel thousands of miles, and to travel thousands of miles is not as good as being on the scene and witnessing it with your own eyes.

Rhododendrons, branches and clusters, bloom in spring, graceful and luxurious, especially the wild rhododendrons in the rain, appear more and more delicate and beautiful.

In April, the azaleas in the Mulan Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area in Huangpi District were in full bloom, ushering in the best flowering period, while the colorful azaleas all over the mountains and the wild, at the same time, ushered in a flower viewing boom. It is said that it was only one day on April 4th. More than 20,000 tourists came to enjoy the flowers.

From March to May, I missed the cherry blossoms in Wuhan, and don’t miss the azalea sea of ​​Yunwu Mountain when you come to Wuhan. It’s really your regret not to take a look.

Choosing to go to Taoist temples or ancient temples on rainy days is not just a simple visit to me, at least I also have a sincere attitude.

Tao… “Dao can be Tao, but it is not a constant Tao. A name can be a name, but not a constant name. Nameless, the beginning of all things; famous, the mother of all things.”

Whenever we mention Taoist temples, we can’t help but think of a Taoist temple with thousands of years of history hidden in the mountains and plains above the sea of ​​pine trees. What impresses me is the Louguan Terrace hidden in the depths of the Qinling Mountains.

But the view of Changchun in the bustling and busy city made me amazed, and I couldn’t help secretly happy: visiting on rainy days is really a wise choice.

Wuhan Changchun Temple is built on the south slope of Shuangfeng Mountain in the northeast corner of Changda East Gate and in the middle of Snake Mountain. It is one of the famous Taoist places in my country. The Guannei worships the Quanzhen Taoist school, and is named “Changchunzi” by its founder, Qiu Chuji Road, the disciple of Chongyang Patriarch. name.

Changchun Temple has a long history and origins in Taoism. It was built in the Yuan Dynasty by the disciples of Qiu Chuji to commemorate his persuasion to “stop killing with one word” when the Yuan army went south.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Changchun Temple was hailed as “a famous area in Jiangchu, where Daozi gathered, and the place of refuge for Huangguan”.

The view of Changchun rises up on the mountain, with successive layers of buildings, with rigorous structure, decent layout, and grand scale.

The main buildings are the Lingguan Hall, the Second Temple, the Taiqing Hall, the Ancient God Altar, the Ancient Xiannong Altar, the Shifangtang, the Jingtang, the Great Guest Hall, the Merit Temple, the Dashige, the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion, the Taoist Pavilion, the Qiu Zudian, and the abbot Hall, Shipu Hall, Chunyang Temple, etc.

Most of these buildings are brick and wood structures, with bucket arches and eaves, and the carvings are delicate and vivid, delicate and elegant.

Among them, Daozang Pavilion is very magical. Its architecture has Tibetan style and European style. It can be regarded as one of the three best Taoist temples, making Changchun Temple the only building group with Tibetan and European styles of Taoism in our country.

In addition, the “Two Wonders” are the “astronomical map” (very precious astronomical cultural relics) left in the country, and the stone carving of “Gantang” gifted by Emperor Qianlong (one of the few emperor’s inscriptions in Taoist architecture).

Although Changchun Taoist Temple is a place for Taoist cultivation of morals and rituals, it has become a tourist attraction because of its quiet scenery and elegant architecture. Its “three uniques” have attracted many tourists.

And I chose to come here on rainy days because of the four words “Tao law nature”, natural wind, natural rain, Taoist natural philosophy is looming.

This Taoist temple is not the same as all the Taoist temples I have seen. If there are similarities, the Kaiyuan Temple located in the ancient city of Jingzhou can be compared with it.

Kaiyuan View, like Changchun View, also faces the street market, and there is constant traffic in the bustling world.

Coincidentally, I visited Kaiyuan Temple and Changchun Temple on rainy days. Although Kaiyuan Temple has no Taoist priests and true believers of the rites and spirits, the quiet and simple environment still makes people feel “the realm of distant mountains.”

The Changchun Temple is more obvious. It is known as “a quiet and blessed place in the busy city”. It often makes people travel between history and modern civilization. The stone wall weeds in the Taoist Temple make me feel like I am in a distant mountain in a light rain. .

When I came to Changchun Temple on a rainy day, there were very few tourists, which made me feel more peaceful. On the way, I also saw a lot of Taoist priests, one of them was quite immortal. In the words of a friend, “very cool”.

But I don’t know if it is because of him or because of the environment, the artistic conception of “deep mountains and old forests, gradually entering fairyland” has become more intense.

As the rain gets wet, the secluded environment and quaint buildings are breathtaking, and the occasional strolling kittens and roosters add infinite aura.

When my lens is facing the moss, rock walls, weeds, and wildflowers, my eyes are staring at them. The deeper I go, the quieter the atmosphere, and the greater the cohesion of nature. The wisdom, The goodness of all things lies in the gap.

“Tao” is the way of the universe, the way of nature, and the way of individual practice.

Virtue is the foundation and Tao is sublimation. “Tao” generates all things and is connoted in all things. “Dao” is in things, and things are in “Dao”. All things and all things go to the same destination by different paths, and they all lead to “Dao”.

Tao, where is the Tao?

Along the wet stone steps, passing by cats and roosters, through various halls, to the highest point.

The modern city construction is very eye-catching. This centuries-old Taoist temple is surrounded by it, but because of the “deep artistic conception”, the bustling and bustling city is forgotten.

At this moment, staring at it, the tall buildings are no different from the mountain peaks, the traffic is like beasts, and the joys and sorrows in the world are just like plants and trees.

As the rain became stronger, when I returned to the eaves of a temple of Taoism, I watched the raindrops fall down along the blue tiles, and watched it splash on the stone slabs and produce water flowers. My heart seemed to be here. Melt into one, like a hermit.