The coronavirus outbreak started in China at the end of and since then has claimed the lives of more than , people across the globe. The Chinese science lab in Wuhan which has been doing experiments on coronavirus was given £ 3 million from the US government. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is a level four biosafety lab, which is the highest level and precautions must be taken to stop diseases being transmitted to humans.
This comes as senior government sources in the UK have revealed an accident at the Wuhan laboratory could be how the horrifying disease started.
One possibility is that scientists at the research center could have become infected after being sprayed with blood containing the virus and then passed it on.
The current hypotheses is that the virus was transmitted to humans from a live animal market in Wuhan.
The science laboratory could be the epicentre of the outbreak (Image: GE TTY)
However, these Yunnan caves are 1, miles away from the Chinese city and studies have traced the COVID – (genome there.)
A UK government source has told the Mail on Sunday that an accident at the laboratory is “no longer being discounted”.
According to The Mail on Sunday, the scientists published research in November under the hea ding: “Discovery of a rich gene pool of bat SARS-related coronaviruses provides new insights into the origin of SARS coronavirus.”
according to the paper, the research was: “Bats in a cave in Yunnan, China were captured and sampled for coronaviruses used for lab experiments.
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The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been funded by the US government (Image: GETTY)
“All sampling procedures were performed by veterinarians with approval from the Animal Ethics Committee of the Wuhan Institute of Virolog y.
“Bat samplings were conducted ten times from April
Many scientists agree the virus is likely to have come from bats but could have passed through another animal before affecting humans.
With regards to US cash being used for the research, US Congressman Matt Gaetz said: “I’m disgusted to learn that for years the US government has been funding dangerous and cruel animal experiments at the Wuhan Institute, which may have contributed to the global spread of coronavirus, and research at other labs in China that have virtually no oversight from US authorities. ”
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A temporary hospital has opened in London to cope with the pandemic (Image: GETTY)
In response to the claims, the Chinese Embassy has described the speculation as “hasty and reckless allegations”.
They said: ”The origin of a virus is a complicated, scientific issue. It should be left to scientists and doctors to find out through studies and research.
“Hasty and reckless allegations, such as naming China as the origin in an attempt to shift the blame, before any scientific conclusion is reached, is totally irresponsible and will definitely do harm to international co-operation at this critical time.
“Covid – 590 is a global challenge. The right thing to do for every responsible stakeholder, including the media, is to work together and leave no place for rumors or prejudice. ”
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