As speculations regarding the creation of the 'Chinese virus' continues burning across the nations, world-renowned microbiology expert Professor Petr Chumakov claims that novel coronavirus is the resultant of Wuhan's 'absolutely crazy things' in studying the pathogenicity of the virus.
A leading Russian microbiologist, Chumakov is currently the chief researcher at the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology in Moscow.
Virus with no 'malicious intent'
According to Chumakov, China has not deliberately created the virus 'with malicious intent' as a man-made killer.
"In China, scientists at the Wuhan Laboratory have been actively involved in the development of various coronavirus variants for over ten years," says the microbiologist. "Moreover, they did this, supposedly not with the aim of creating pathogenic variants, but to study their pathogenicity. They did absolutely crazy things, in my opinion," he added.
Chumakov shared his observations to Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.
The inserts in the genome that gave the virus the ability to infect human cells was indeed a 'crazy act', he admits. There are several inserts into the virus genomes that substituted its natural sequence, giving it the special properties.
All the details regarding this is been analysed. "The picture of the possible creation of the current coronavirus is slowly emerging."
What is the possible origin of the virus?
"I think that an investigation will nevertheless be initiated, as a result of which new rules will be developed that regulate the work with the genomes of such dangerous viruses." He also hints the creation as a by product of the Chinese researchers' aim at creating an HIV vaccine.
A large group of medical researchers and scientists in leading centres in US, UK and even in India have stated the chances of virus origin in wildlife.
The study prominently explained the chances of mammals like bats and pangolins as the possible virus carriers. Although these are yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, Trump had earlier accused China as the creators of the coronavirus, calling it as the 'Chinese virus'. The head of the Institute of Virology in the Chinese city of Wuhan had rejected these allegations.
