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Coronavirus: the Wuhan lab conspiracy theory that will not go away
- Experts say it is ‘highly unlikely’ the virus was accidentally released from the virology institute but it continues to draw attention as possible origin
- Laboratory’s proximity to seafood market associated with earliest cases has fuelled speculation about its involvement
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Why you can trust SCMP
Questions about the origin of the new coronavirus behind the Covid-19 pandemic have focused attention on its potential links to a research laboratory in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the first infections were reported late last year.
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Experts say it is highly unlikely the virus accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology but the US is seeking access to conduct its own investigation into the claims, fuelled by the laboratory’s proximity to the seafood and wildlife market associated with many of the earliest cases.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian – who last month shared an unsubstantiated claim that the US military had introduced the virus to Wuhan – countered the demand, from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, by saying the origin of the virus should be determined by scientists.
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The Wuhan institute is China’s first laboratory with BSL-4 status – the highest international designation for bioresearch safety – designed for work with the deadly and easily transmittable class of pathogens known as P4. While similar labs around the world have had safety lapses in the past, there has been no evidence to date linking the institute to the emergence of Covid-19.
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