NEJM:..."The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t)"...or, How to Move On in the
Face of Uncertainty. Given China's Obfuscation wrt definitive data that would prove the origin of COVID-19, the world's health organizations need to take steps to ensure we experience another pandemic due to either natural or laboratory origin. Here's an excerpt....
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When health emergencies arise, scientists seek to discover the cause — such as how a pathogen emerged and spread — because this knowledge can enhance our understanding of risks and strategies for prevention, preparedness, and mitigation. Yet well into the fourth year of the Covid-19 pandemic, intense political and scientific debates about its origins continue. The two major hypotheses are a natural zoonotic spillover, most likely occurring at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, and a laboratory leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). It is worth examining the efforts to discover the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the political obstacles, and what the evidence tells us. This evidence can help clarify the virus’s evolutionary path. But regardless of the origins of the virus, there are steps the global community can take to reduce future pandemic threats.
The origins story dates back to December 31, 2019, when the World Health Organization (WHO) learned of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan (see timeline). Wuhan authorities closed the Huanan market the next day, rendering live animals unavailable for testing. China publicly shared the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence on January 10, 2020. It was not until weeks after the WHO declared Covid-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30 that the WHO–China Joint Mission visited Beijing and Wuhan (February 16 to February 24).
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And another...
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Since the pandemic’s earliest days, controversy has swirled about how it began. Origins investigations are scientific endeavors, but we need to plan ahead so that scientists get rapid access to key geographic sites, open scientific exchange, and full transparency. Though such investigations proceed more slowly than the news cycle, these steps are the keys to unlocking the mystery surrounding Covid-19 and preparing the world for the future outbreaks that are certain to occur.
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Link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2305081
Replies to: NEJM:..."The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t)"...or, How to Move On in the
Yeah, I bet you want to "just move on."
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Everyone by now knows it came from the lab, except you
I do not agree with far-righties that it was purposely released, but it's obvious that a virus originating naturally in the exact same city that housed a lab studying the exact same coronavirus is a coincidence that is mathematically virtually impossible.
The only people who might know are the Chinese, and they're not talking.
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Your standards of proof differ for Trump vs. Leftists. "Proven This" vs. "who knows that?"
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That's from June 2023, a little dated, don't you think?
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Has anything changed since then?...has any data been forthcoming from China?...at all?
The gist of the article is that we need to take action, in lieu of that missing data, to prepare ourselves for the very real chance of another deadly pandemic...btw, all it would take is for the current H5N1 'Bird Flu' virus that's ravaging millions of commercial chicken and other bird flocks to make a genetic change to easier infection of humans and we're back where we were in 2020. Read the article and learn something.
Don't do gain of function research on H5N1 would be a good start.
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Gain of Function is used to determine the production of EVERY annual Flu drug...it has its
place in Virology...but needs careful controls. Look deeper before posting.