• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News World News

No evidence to back Trump claims Covid-19 originated from Wuhan lab

Donald Trump said he has seen proof that the coronavirus outbreak originated from an infectious disease laboratory in China.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-05-19 14:32
in World News
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

There is no evidence to support a conspiracy theory, backed by Donald Trump, which suggests coronavirus was created in a Chinese laboratory, an expert has said.

The US president claims to have seen proof that Covid-19 originated from an infectious disease laboratory in Wuhan.

At the start of May he speculated that China could have unleashed the virus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake”, and even put forward the idea the release was intentional.

However, Professor David Robertson told the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee there was no evidence to back the theory.

He said: “It (the theory) seems unlikely given the emergence of an animal market.

Wildlife market

“You have a virus that you think comes from an exotic species and then you have a wildlife market – that seems the most parsimonious explanation.”

Asked whether a Covid-19 sample found in a Wuhan lab, thought to be about 40 to 50 years old, could have been behind the initial outbreak, the head of viral genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Glasgow added: “No, absolutely not.

RelatedPosts

‘She’s 10:’ Fury as 10-year-old child rape victim denied abortion

US Supreme Court overturns right to abortion and allows more Americans to carry guns away from home

Australian state outlaws displays of swastikas due to ‘resurgent white supremacist and neo-Nazi movement’

Yes Le Pen made gains but the left is the powerbroker not the far-right

“That’s partly what has driven some of these conspiracy theories, is what is the chance they would have this virus in the labs that is close? And actually, even though it is close in sequence, it is not close in time.”

Prof Robertson added: “There is really no evidence for this. We can all enjoy a conspiracy theory but you need to have evidence.”

The committee also heard that Covid-19 is unpredictably different from what had been discovered.

He said: “I don’t think we’re clever enough to have designed this virus – it’s far too unique.”

John Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, told the committee that wildlife markets where animals are kept “cheek-by-jowl” – such as in the so-called wet markets in China – helped “stack the odds in the favour” of viruses transferring to humans.

Transmitted

He said: “Unusually for this virus, it seems as though it was ready-primed to be able to reasonably and efficiently – in fact, very efficiently – infect humans and be transmitted.

“Wherever you have a large mixture of different wild animals being kept close together alive then there is always the chance that a virus can jump from one to another and acquire some mutations and that those mutations might then enable it to infect humans and then onwardly transmit.

“It is a lottery for the viruses, it is a game of chance, but you do stack the odds in the favour of the virus if you have lots of these wild animals being kept cheek-by-jowl in these kinds of markets.”

Related – Trump talks from the top of his head, says ex-UK scientific adviser

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Really need Committee for that! Jimmy Savile should have lost knighthood, Honours Forfeiture Committee says

As Government pledges £16.5bn for defence UK debt could reach 105% of GDP

Astronomy boffins come up with new set of modern day star constellations which include Sir David Attenborough, Tim Peake and Usain Bolt

Patient gets preliminary cancer diagnosis hours after being turned away from hospital

Children’s home owner who campaigned against child abuse secretly abused kids in his care

Brexit: BBC under fire after reporting Cornwall receiving funding boost when it’s actually a cut

Review: Yauatcha launches Chinese New Year menu

Boris Johnson and Sadiq Kahn To Lock Horns At Wembley

Historical Education is Finding a Place in Gaming

Cummings: Irish issues ‘far’ from being a priority for UK government

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.