Zhong Hanneng and Zhang Hai tried to sue the Chinese government over the Wuhan virus outbreak. But their lawsuits were 'abruptly rejected'. Palki Sharma Upadhyay brings you the voices of two Chinese citizens, who dared to take on the Communist Party.

Gravitas: China is blocking Coronavirus lawsuits

Scientists around the world are working on more than 150 vaccine candidates for the Wuhan virus. Who is leading the race? WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: A vaccine for Wuhan Virus, Who is leading the race

China is offering its vaccine to other countries to win friends. But, the Chinese vaccines are being tested on people separately from the normal regulatory approval process. @palkisu tells you more about China's vaccine diplomacy.

Gravitas: China is selling its vaccine, without a stamp of approval

China says its vaccine for the Wuhan virus may be ready for the public in November. But, tainted and controversial companies are leading China's vaccine hunt. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Tainted and Controversial firms lead China's vaccine hunt

Scientists around the world are working on more than 150 vaccine candidates for the Wuhan virus. Who is leading the race?

Major world powers scramble to find COVID-19 vaccine | Watch report

China's Communist Party excels in rewriting its own history. Now, it is re-scripting the story of the pandemic in a desperate attempt to project normalcy. In this report

Gravitas: China is trying to rewrite the history of the Wuhan Virus

One of the shields against the Wuhan Virus is a killer in disguise. A new study has found most hand sanitisers to be adulterated, dangerous and lethal.

Gravitas: Why Hand Sanitisers Are Dangerous

US intelligence has found out that officials in the Chinese city of Wuhan kept senior officials in Beijing in the dark for weeks about the coronavirus outbreak that resulted in the pandemic. The intelligence contains indisputable evidence of the local cover-up attempt, the officials say.

The reports also say that when the Chinese Communist Party learned about the virus, it sought to obscure the full extent of that knowledge from the rest of the world. They also believe that there came a point where China President Xi Jinping did become aware of the full extent of the outbreak in Wuhan and realised that coronavirus was spreading but continued to downplay the situation publically.

These findings are on the lines of the Trump administration's repeated accusations against China. The Trump administration has for long looked into the possibility that the novel coronavirus spread from a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, but has presented no proof to back up that theory.&nbsp;

US officials say the Chinese conduct fits a pattern that was also seen during the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, in 2003.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-wuhan-water-park-party-now-beijing-says-face-masks-not-mandatory-in-public-spaces-322235">Also read |&nbsp;After Wuhan water park party, now Beijing says face masks not mandatory in public spaces</a>

US intelligence shows that even within the Chinese Communist Party, officials did not freely share information with their counterparts in Beijing.&nbsp;

The last official statement from the intelligence community on the origins of the virus, in April, said it would "rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan."

The pandemic has killed 175,000 Americans and now infects more than 5.5 million in the US.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/a-naturally-occurring-covid-19-is-the-real-conspiracy-theory-321930">Also read |&nbsp;A naturally-occurring COVID-19 is the real conspiracy theory</a>

US intelligence has found out that officials in the Chinese city of Wuhan kept senior officials in Beijing in the dark for weeks about the coronavirus outbreak that resulted in the pandemic.

US intelligence has found out that officials in the Chinese city of Wuhan kept senior officials in Beijing in the dark for weeks about the coronavirus outbreak that resulted in the pandemic. The intelligence contains indisputable evidence of the local cover-up attempt, the officials say. The reports also say that when the Chinese Communist Party learned about the virus, it sought to obscure the full extent of that knowledge from the rest of the world. They also believe that there came a point where China President Xi Jinping did become aware of the full extent of the outbreak in Wuhan and realised that coronavirus was spreading but continued to downplay the situation publically. These findings are on the lines of the Trump administration's repeated accusations against China. The Trump administration has for long looked into the possibility that the novel coronavirus spread from a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, but has presented no proof to back up that theory. US officials say the Chinese conduct fits a pattern that was also seen during the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, in 2003. Also read | After Wuhan water park party, now Beijing says face masks not mandatory in public spaces US intelligence shows that even within the Chinese Communist Party, officials did not freely share information with their counterparts in Beijing. The last official statement from the intelligence community on the origins of the virus, in April, said it would "rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan." The pandemic has killed 175,000 Americans and now infects more than 5.5 million in the US. Also read | A naturally-occurring COVID-19 is the real conspiracy theory

Wuhan officials kept China in the dark for weeks about coronavirus, US intel says

For those who think COVID-19 is just another viral infection then watch this story that offers some perspective on how symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Coronavirus Pandemic: "My life is a miracle", says COVID-19 survivor

Italy has recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections since May 23, with 845 new cases reported over the last day, health ministry officials said Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/supply-nationalism-exacerbated-the-pandemic-many-countries-still-do-not-have-enough-who-chief-tedros-321964">Also Read:&nbsp;Supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic,&nbsp;says WHO chief Tedros</a>

The new high comes after the health ministry on Wednesday counted 642 new cases, confirming an upward curve.

Six people also died over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 35,418 in a total of 256,118 cases, health officials added.

"We are not in as bad a position as France and Spain, but the current situation is not satisfactory," said Professor Massimo Galli, who heads the infectious diseases department at Milan's prestigious Sacco hospital.

"The end of confinement has resulted in an excessive feeling of false security," he told the La Repubblica newspaper.

Italy in May emerged from a severe lockdown after becoming one the first European countries to report cases of COVID-19.

We have to be careful, otherwise we will find ourselves facing an extremely difficult situation," Galli warned, pointing particularly to returning travellers over the summer vacation.

"I don't want to look like the one blaming young people, there are certain episodes that have struck me," like nine young people who tested positive after returning from Croatia.

"Every day we receive reports of this type," Galli said.

The highest number of cases were reported in the northern Veneto and Lombardy regions, with 159 and 154 and in Rome's Lazio region with 115. 
&nbsp;

Italy has recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections since May 23, with 845 new cases reported over the last day, health ministry officials said Thursday.

Italy has recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections since May 23, with 845 new cases reported over the last day, health ministry officials said Thursday. Also Read: Supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic, says WHO chief Tedros The new high comes after the health ministry on Wednesday counted 642 new cases, confirming an upward curve. Six people also died over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 35,418 in a total of 256,118 cases, health officials added. "We are not in as bad a position as France and Spain, but the current situation is not satisfactory," said Professor Massimo Galli, who heads the infectious diseases department at Milan's prestigious Sacco hospital. "The end of confinement has resulted in an excessive feeling of false security," he told the La Repubblica newspaper. Italy in May emerged from a severe lockdown after becoming one the first European countries to report cases of COVID-19. We have to be careful, otherwise we will find ourselves facing an extremely difficult situation," Galli warned, pointing particularly to returning travellers over the summer vacation. "I don't want to look like the one blaming young people, there are certain episodes that have struck me," like nine young people who tested positive after returning from Croatia. "Every day we receive reports of this type," Galli said. The highest number of cases were reported in the northern Veneto and Lombardy regions, with 159 and 154 and in Rome's Lazio region with 115.

Italy records highest coronavirus cases since May

Two scientists have uncovered more evidence about the Wuhan virus. They say the virus could be at least eight years old and started spreading from a Chinese mine first.

It is the worst version of the virus which now revealing itself in South-east Asia.

There have been several conspiracy theories being floating around&nbsp;for months, some have claimed it originated from the wet market, other said that it began from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, some even said it is a weapon of biological warfare.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-wuhan-virus-could-be-at-least-8-years-old-321340/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

However, the question on the origins of the coronavirus still remain unanswered, however, it may change now as two scientists in America have penned their report shedding new light on the origins&nbsp;of the deadly coronavirus.

The scientists claim to have found evidence that it started inside the Mojiang mineshaft - not eight months back but eight years back.

The Mojiang mine is located in China’s Yunnan province. In 2012, six miners spent 14 days inside the mine removing bat faeces. Later they showed symptoms similar to the Wuhan virus with cough, high fever with shortness of breath, headaches and sore limbs.

Three out of the six miners reportedly died. All this information is part of a Masters thesis from Chinese physician Li Xu. The thesis was translated and studied by Dr Jonathan Latham and Dr Allison Wilson.

Their conclusion is that the virus most likely escaped from a lab and that there have been six documented outbreaks of SARS since 2003.

More claims from this report raise questions on China’s role in the pandemic. The two American scientists say samples from the miners were sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for testing implying that the coronavirus could have been on China’s radar much before the outbreak in Wuhan.&nbsp;

In South-east Asia, two countries have&nbsp;reported&nbsp;more infectious strains - Quezon city in the Philippines has found the G-614 strain which it spreads 1.22 times more than the Wuhan virus.

Malaysia claims to have found the G-614g mutation which is reportedly ten times more infectious than the Wuhan virus.

The virus is mutating into its deadlier versions after months of research, the world has more questions than answers. China must share what it knows about the contagion, the least it can do after exporting the virus to the world.

Two scientists have uncovered more evidence about the Wuhan virus. They say the virus could be at least eight years old and started spreading from a Chinese mine first.

Two scientists have uncovered more evidence about the Wuhan virus. They say the virus could be at least eight years old and started spreading from a Chinese mine first. It is the worst version of the virus which now revealing itself in South-east Asia. There have been several conspiracy theories being floating around for months, some have claimed it originated from the wet market, other said that it began from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, some even said it is a weapon of biological warfare. However, the question on the origins of the coronavirus still remain unanswered, however, it may change now as two scientists in America have penned their report shedding new light on the origins of the deadly coronavirus. The scientists claim to have found evidence that it started inside the Mojiang mineshaft - not eight months back but eight years back. The Mojiang mine is located in China’s Yunnan province. In 2012, six miners spent 14 days inside the mine removing bat faeces. Later they showed symptoms similar to the Wuhan virus with cough, high fever with shortness of breath, headaches and sore limbs. Three out of the six miners reportedly died. All this information is part of a Masters thesis from Chinese physician Li Xu. The thesis was translated and studied by Dr Jonathan Latham and Dr Allison Wilson. Their conclusion is that the virus most likely escaped from a lab and that there have been six documented outbreaks of SARS since 2003. More claims from this report raise questions on China’s role in the pandemic. The two American scientists say samples from the miners were sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for testing implying that the coronavirus could have been on China’s radar much before the outbreak in Wuhan. In South-east Asia, two countries have reported more infectious strains - Quezon city in the Philippines has found the G-614 strain which it spreads 1.22 times more than the Wuhan virus. Malaysia claims to have found the G-614g mutation which is reportedly ten times more infectious than the Wuhan virus. The virus is mutating into its deadlier versions after months of research, the world has more questions than answers. China must share what it knows about the contagion, the least it can do after exporting the virus to the world.

Coronavirus originated from China mine eight years ago, two US scientists claim

Two scientists in the United States have made a major claim. They say that the Wuhan Virus could have first appeared in 2012. This comes as more infectious strains of the virus have appeared in two Southeast Asian countries.

Gravitas: The Wuhan Virus could be at least 8 years old

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about a campaign called "Operation empty plate" which was initially launched in 2013 to target big feasts held by Chinese officials.&nbsp;Now, Xi Jinping has expanded it to the public.

The Chinese president asked his people to stop wasting food and eat frugally. He did not say a word about food shortage,&nbsp;instead&nbsp;Xi Jinping spoke about "bumper harvest in my country's grain production year after year".

President Xi lied. China's crops have been wiped out by the mass flooding and food prices are on the rise. Xi Jinping also hid another truth - China's food security is hanging by the thread.

The are several reasons for it. Firstly, China is home to 1.4 billion people but the country is far from self-reliant. It imports 20 per cent to 30 per cent of its food grains. China was the world's top agricultural market between 2003 and 2017, its food imports have grown from $14 billion to $105 billion from the top-10 import partners alone, China imports food worth $75.3 billion.

It imports $22.7 billion worth from Brazil, $18.1 billion from the United States, $5.6 billion from Canada, $5.35 billion from New Zealand, $4.3 billion from Indonesia, $4.13 billion from Thailand, $3.37 billion from Hong Kong and $2.84 billion from France, according to 2017 data.

The moral of the story is that China relies on the world to feed its people. Now, China is reeling under a crisis of its own making. It is in a trade war with the US which is the same country from which Beijing had imported grains worth $5.5 billion last year.

China's total agricultural imports from India in 2018-19 was worth $1999 million, major imports included prawns, castor oil, capsicum etc. Food security has always been a priority for China since it needs to feed 1.4 billion people but Xi Jinping has rejigged China's priority list by putting his expansionist ambitions above everything else. The result is the global supply chain has been impaired because of the Wuhan virus pandemic.

Countries are refusing to engage with China because of its aggressive foreign policy and then there are the trade wars. In short, China may be headed towards a food crisis.

However, Xi Jinping has been masquerading through the crisis as a frugal campaigner under "Operation empty plate", restaurants are being asked to offer small portions and diners are being asked to order less. Xi Jinping may be hiding the problem of food shortage that China may soon be facing.

Beijing may have known it for some time. In June, China imported 910,000 tons of wheat, it was a 197 per cent increase year-on-year. It imported 880,000 tons of corn which is a year-on-year increase of 23 per cent. Imports of sorghum surged to 680,000 tons and sugar imports touched 140,000 tons. It is a 196 per cent year-on-year increase. Earlier, the numbers looked like China was trying to take advantage of cheap global prices but it looks it could have been China trying to avert a crisis.

It was stocking up in the fear of being cut-off from the global supply chain but the question is how long will these stocks last because by the looks of it China's isolation is not ending anytime soon. 
&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about a campaign called "Operation empty plate" which was initially launched in 2013 to target big feasts held by Chinese officials.

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about a campaign called "Operation empty plate" which was initially launched in 2013 to target big feasts held by Chinese officials. Now, Xi Jinping has expanded it to the public. The Chinese president asked his people to stop wasting food and eat frugally. He did not say a word about food shortage, instead Xi Jinping spoke about "bumper harvest in my country's grain production year after year". President Xi lied. China's crops have been wiped out by the mass flooding and food prices are on the rise. Xi Jinping also hid another truth - China's food security is hanging by the thread. The are several reasons for it. Firstly, China is home to 1.4 billion people but the country is far from self-reliant. It imports 20 per cent to 30 per cent of its food grains. China was the world's top agricultural market between 2003 and 2017, its food imports have grown from $14 billion to $105 billion from the top-10 import partners alone, China imports food worth $75.3 billion. It imports $22.7 billion worth from Brazil, $18.1 billion from the United States, $5.6 billion from Canada, $5.35 billion from New Zealand, $4.3 billion from Indonesia, $4.13 billion from Thailand, $3.37 billion from Hong Kong and $2.84 billion from France, according to 2017 data. The moral of the story is that China relies on the world to feed its people. Now, China is reeling under a crisis of its own making. It is in a trade war with the US which is the same country from which Beijing had imported grains worth $5.5 billion last year. China's total agricultural imports from India in 2018-19 was worth $1999 million, major imports included prawns, castor oil, capsicum etc. Food security has always been a priority for China since it needs to feed 1.4 billion people but Xi Jinping has rejigged China's priority list by putting his expansionist ambitions above everything else. The result is the global supply chain has been impaired because of the Wuhan virus pandemic. Countries are refusing to engage with China because of its aggressive foreign policy and then there are the trade wars. In short, China may be headed towards a food crisis. However, Xi Jinping has been masquerading through the crisis as a frugal campaigner under "Operation empty plate", restaurants are being asked to offer small portions and diners are being asked to order less. Xi Jinping may be hiding the problem of food shortage that China may soon be facing. Beijing may have known it for some time. In June, China imported 910,000 tons of wheat, it was a 197 per cent increase year-on-year. It imported 880,000 tons of corn which is a year-on-year increase of 23 per cent. Imports of sorghum surged to 680,000 tons and sugar imports touched 140,000 tons. It is a 196 per cent year-on-year increase. Earlier, the numbers looked like China was trying to take advantage of cheap global prices but it looks it could have been China trying to avert a crisis. It was stocking up in the fear of being cut-off from the global supply chain but the question is how long will these stocks last because by the looks of it China's isolation is not ending anytime soon.

Amid pandemic, China stares at food crisis

Wuhan's recovery after a 76-day lockdown was lifted in April has brought life back onto its streets. Although business is still slow in the city

Chinese city Wuhan recovers from impact of pandemic | Wuhan Springs back to life

China hails its virus triumphs, and glosses over its mistakes

Novel coronavirus was found in the packaging of imported frozen seafood that arrived from the port city of Dalian, China, a Reuters report said quoting a local government on Tuesday.

Novel coronavirus was found in the packaging of imported frozen seafood that arrived from the port city of Dalian, China, a Reuters report said quoting a local government on Tuesday. Dalian recently battled a surge of coronavirus cases. The virus was found on the outer packaging of frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, the report added. The Yantai city government said in a statement the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian but did not say where it originated. Also read: China stands accused of manufacturing the COVID-19 virus In July, customs officers in Dalian, a major port in the northeastern province of Liaoning, found the coronavirus in the packaging of frozen shrimps imported from Ecuador, following wich China suspended imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers. The novel coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a market that sold seafood and wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has since spread around the world, causing thousand of fatalities and a major economic contraction. Some of the seafood that the three Yantai companies bought had been processed for export, while the rest had been kept in cold storage and has not entered the market, the Yantai government said. Also read: China's war on Wuhan virus has a new foe: Second wave of COVID-19 When asked if any of the processed seafood had been exported, a member of staff at a coronavirus outbreak response unit in Yantai declined to elaborate, referring Reuters to the Yantai city government statement. Authorities had sealed off the goods, the city government said. Everyone who handled the goods was under quarantine and have tested negative for the coronavirus, it said. The latest outbreak of coronavirus in Dalian city started in late July, with the first case working at a seafood processing company. By Aug. 9, Dalian has reported a total of 92 cases. (With inputs from Reuters)

Novel coronavirus found on frozen seafood in China

The results also showed that antibodies against the novel coronavirus in 10 per cent of the 100 patients have disappeared.

90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan suffering from lung damage

US President Donald Trump defended his administration's response to the virus and continued to press for US schools to reopen. In an interview with the Axios news website released late on Monday, Trump again insisted that increased diagnostic testing in the United States accounted for the increase in cases, an assertion disputed by health experts who say expanded testing accounts for some, but not all, of the growth in cases.

US President Donald Trump defended his administration's response to the virus and continued to press for US schools to reopen. In an interview with the Axios news website released late on Monday, Trump again insisted that increased diagnostic testing in the United States accounted for the increase in cases, an assertion disputed by health experts who say expanded testing accounts for some, but not all, of the growth in cases. "They are dying, that's true," he said. "It is what it is. But that doesn't mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague.” Also read: US doing 'very well' against COVID-19, India has a 'tremendous problem': Trump At least 155,000 people have died amid a patchy response to the public health crisis that has failed to stem a rise in cases. With US deaths reaching a record 1,000 a day, Trump pressed the view of deaths in proportion to the number of cases instead of as a proportion of the population, in which the United States fares worse than other Western nations. Also read: 'Pathetic!': US President Trump lashes out at virus coordinator Health experts also call it a key tool in fighting the spread of the disease, which had been detected in at least 4.6 million people across the United States as of Saturday.

US President Trump says coronavirus under control, 'It is what it is'

World Health Organization's emergency program executive director Michael Ryan said today that Wuhan's surveillance system was triggered by COVID-19 but it does not mean that is where the disease originated.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/who-will-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-first-race-for-a-wuhan-virus-vaccine-317658/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"One must remember that there was a specific surveillance system in place in Wuhan for picking up clusters of atypical pneumonia. It was there for a very specific purpose and the fact that that fire alarm was triggered doesn't necessarily mean that that is where the disease crossed from animals into humans," Michael Ryan said.

Ryan asserted that "more extensive, retrospective epidemiologic study" was required to look at the "first cases and clusters in Wuhan and to fully understand the links between those cases" to understand "at what point, in Wuhan or elsewhere, was the animal-human species barrier breached."

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said on Monday that the team that had travelled to China had concluded its mission to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the virus origins.

Tedros had stated that epidemiological studies will begin in Wuhan to identify the "potential source of infection" from the early cases reported. The WHO team will coordinate with Chinese scientists to ascertain how the disease jumped from animals to humans. The extensive investigation will also be overseen by the Chinese government.

Tedros had warned on Monday that there may never be a "silver bullet" to fight the virus and there might never be as he and cautioned countries to enforce health measures like wearing masks, ensure social distancing, and to undertake virus testing and tracing on a large scale.

The message to people and governments is clear: "Do it all"," Tedros said. The WHO chief said that there are "concerns that we may not have a vaccine that may work, or its protection could be for just a few months," while adding"until we finish the clinical trials, we will not know." 
&nbsp;

World Health Organization's emergency program executive director Michael Ryan said today that Wuhan's surveillance system was triggered by COVID-19 but it does not mean that is where the disease originated.

World Health Organization's emergency program executive director Michael Ryan said today that Wuhan's surveillance system was triggered by COVID-19 but it does not mean that is where the disease originated. Watch: "One must remember that there was a specific surveillance system in place in Wuhan for picking up clusters of atypical pneumonia. It was there for a very specific purpose and the fact that that fire alarm was triggered doesn't necessarily mean that that is where the disease crossed from animals into humans," Michael Ryan said. Ryan asserted that "more extensive, retrospective epidemiologic study" was required to look at the "first cases and clusters in Wuhan and to fully understand the links between those cases" to understand "at what point, in Wuhan or elsewhere, was the animal-human species barrier breached." WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said on Monday that the team that had travelled to China had concluded its mission to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the virus origins. Tedros had stated that epidemiological studies will begin in Wuhan to identify the "potential source of infection" from the early cases reported. The WHO team will coordinate with Chinese scientists to ascertain how the disease jumped from animals to humans. The extensive investigation will also be overseen by the Chinese government. Tedros had warned on Monday that there may never be a "silver bullet" to fight the virus and there might never be as he and cautioned countries to enforce health measures like wearing masks, ensure social distancing, and to undertake virus testing and tracing on a large scale. The message to people and governments is clear: "Do it all"," Tedros said. The WHO chief said that there are "concerns that we may not have a vaccine that may work, or its protection could be for just a few months," while adding"until we finish the clinical trials, we will not know."

Wuhan's virus fire alarm trigger does not necessarily point to coronavirus origin: WHO

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that there is "no silver bullet at the moment to fight the virus and there might never be".

Watch:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/global-covid-19-cases-surpass-18-million-mark-pandemic-widespread-in-us-317808/embed" width="560"></iframe>

"A number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials and we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection. However, there’s no silver bullet at the moment - and there might never be," Tedros said.

The WHO chief informed that the emergency committee on COVID-19 had met and reviewed the current pandemic. Tedros said that the committee had noted the health impact of the virus had disrupted services on a range of other diseases including reduced immunisation coverage, cancer screening and mental health services.

"More than half of countries reported disruption in antenatal care services and more than a third of countries reported disruption in childbirth services," Tedros said.

Tedros noted that some countries which had experienced the worst of spikes and appeared to have recovered were now witnessing fresh spikes. Tedros informed that emergency committee acknowledged that member states have "tough choices" to make to turn the epidemic around.

The WHO chief also said that epidemiological studies will begin in Wuhan in China to identify the "potential source of infection" of early COVID-19 cases with evidence and hypotheses generated through the work which will lay the ground for further, longer-term studies.

WHO's advance team that travelled to China has now concluded their mission to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the virus origins.&nbsp;

Tedros said that WHO and&nbsp;Chinese experts have drafted the terms of reference for the studies and programme of work for an international team led by WHO. The international team will include leading scientists and researchers from China and around the world, he informed.

Meamwhile, WHO emergencies head Mike Ryan said that several countries including Brazil and India were braced for a long battle with "sustained commitment".

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that there is "no silver bullet at the moment to fight the virus and there might never be". Watch: "A number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials and we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that there is "no silver bullet at the moment to fight the virus and there might never be". Watch: "A number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials and we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection. However, there’s no silver bullet at the moment - and there might never be," Tedros said. The WHO chief informed that the emergency committee on COVID-19 had met and reviewed the current pandemic. Tedros said that the committee had noted the health impact of the virus had disrupted services on a range of other diseases including reduced immunisation coverage, cancer screening and mental health services. "More than half of countries reported disruption in antenatal care services and more than a third of countries reported disruption in childbirth services," Tedros said. Tedros noted that some countries which had experienced the worst of spikes and appeared to have recovered were now witnessing fresh spikes. Tedros informed that emergency committee acknowledged that member states have "tough choices" to make to turn the epidemic around. The WHO chief also said that epidemiological studies will begin in Wuhan in China to identify the "potential source of infection" of early COVID-19 cases with evidence and hypotheses generated through the work which will lay the ground for further, longer-term studies. WHO's advance team that travelled to China has now concluded their mission to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the virus origins. Tedros said that WHO and Chinese experts have drafted the terms of reference for the studies and programme of work for an international team led by WHO. The international team will include leading scientists and researchers from China and around the world, he informed. Meamwhile, WHO emergencies head Mike Ryan said that several countries including Brazil and India were braced for a long battle with "sustained commitment".

No silver bullet to fight the virus and there might never be: WHO chief Tedros

Australia’s Victoria state tightened restrictions and declared a state of disaster after its outbreak showed no signs of abating three weeks after capital Melbourne was put under lockdown.

Australia imposes curfew in Victoria state

Is the developed world locking up Wuhan Virus vaccine supplies - even before the scientists come up with one? WION's Palki Sharma tells you how leading countries have already ordered millions of doses in advance.

Gravitas: Vaccine for Wuhan Virus, Will the developed world lock up supplies?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he was too fat. He believes being fat made it difficult for him to fight the Wuhan Virus. So, he is urging Brits to shed some pounds by getting fitter. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more about Britain's new national obesity plan.

Gravitas: Boris Johnson's new obesity strategy

The rich are trying to buy access to virus-free safe zones. New Zealand is their top choice. What are the other options?

Gravitas: Rich are on the quest for a virus-free safe haven

China has been facing one disaster after another in 2020.&nbsp;The Wuhan virus is yet to slow down but China is staring at yet another crisis - worst floods in 30 years.

It happens every year but this time around it is far worse. On Monday, China blasted a dam to release the surging waters behind it with over 30 million people affected but is it a disaster that China could have avoided?

China has had a long history of floods and every year it seems to get worse. The fate of nearly 500 million people hangs in the balance with vast swathes of land inundated but those who live along the Yangtze river are the worst hit.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-floods-in-china-a-man-made-disaster-314993/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

China’s biggest dam - the Three Gorges dam sits right on top of the Yangtze river and experts fear it could break. At least 500 million people live along the Yangzi basin and now&nbsp;they live under a shadow of fear.

The floodwaters have been testing the endurance of the dam. There is a fear that it may not be able to handle the rising water levels. The Three Gorges has been opening its gates to release the waters.

China has dismissed the concerns with officials defending the structural integrity of the dam. China’s state media&nbsp;echoes the same points. When the Three Gorges project was pitched, it was sold as the ultimate solution to some of China’s biggest problems.

China said it would generate power, boost irrigation, improve the navigability of rivers and protect homes from floods. Most Chinese bought the argument but now, they are staring at a calamity.

On Friday, Chinese authorities issued warnings as they expect more rains. The Three Gorges dam is hitting new flooding records. Last week, three flood gates were opened as water levels behind the gates rose more than 50 feet above the flood zone. Associated Press has reported that the Chinese military swung into action. They have been testing the strength of the embankments while shoring them up with sandbags and rocks.

Already, some cities have been flooded. On June, 29th the dam had discharged water in anticipation of the flood. Soon after that, downstream cities witnessed flooding. Residents in Wuhan and provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang have been severely hit.

On Friday, they had received a red alert which is the highest level on the four-tier weather system as dam authorities faced questions they said that the flooding after discharge was due to poor drainage system.

More than 140 people have either died or disappeared so far but the actual number could be much higher with at least 28,000 homes destroyed, the economic damage is now close to $12 billion and it is not over yet.

The floodwaters have exposed the cracks within China's flood control systems.

China has been facing one disaster after another in 2020. The Wuhan virus is yet to slow down but China is staring at yet another crisis - worst floods in 30 years.

China has been facing one disaster after another in 2020. The Wuhan virus is yet to slow down but China is staring at yet another crisis - worst floods in 30 years. It happens every year but this time around it is far worse. On Monday, China blasted a dam to release the surging waters behind it with over 30 million people affected but is it a disaster that China could have avoided? China has had a long history of floods and every year it seems to get worse. The fate of nearly 500 million people hangs in the balance with vast swathes of land inundated but those who live along the Yangtze river are the worst hit. China’s biggest dam - the Three Gorges dam sits right on top of the Yangtze river and experts fear it could break. At least 500 million people live along the Yangzi basin and now they live under a shadow of fear. The floodwaters have been testing the endurance of the dam. There is a fear that it may not be able to handle the rising water levels. The Three Gorges has been opening its gates to release the waters. China has dismissed the concerns with officials defending the structural integrity of the dam. China’s state media echoes the same points. When the Three Gorges project was pitched, it was sold as the ultimate solution to some of China’s biggest problems. China said it would generate power, boost irrigation, improve the navigability of rivers and protect homes from floods. Most Chinese bought the argument but now, they are staring at a calamity. On Friday, Chinese authorities issued warnings as they expect more rains. The Three Gorges dam is hitting new flooding records. Last week, three flood gates were opened as water levels behind the gates rose more than 50 feet above the flood zone. Associated Press has reported that the Chinese military swung into action. They have been testing the strength of the embankments while shoring them up with sandbags and rocks. Already, some cities have been flooded. On June, 29th the dam had discharged water in anticipation of the flood. Soon after that, downstream cities witnessed flooding. Residents in Wuhan and provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang have been severely hit. On Friday, they had received a red alert which is the highest level on the four-tier weather system as dam authorities faced questions they said that the flooding after discharge was due to poor drainage system. More than 140 people have either died or disappeared so far but the actual number could be much higher with at least 28,000 homes destroyed, the economic damage is now close to $12 billion and it is not over yet. The floodwaters have exposed the cracks within China's flood control systems.

After virus, China faces worst floods in 30 years

The fury of nature in China is not new as out of the ten largest floods in the last century seven has been in China.

The Three Gorges Dam has been a story of a manmade disaster in China. Its birth had led to the flooding of 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,352 villages with a total of 1.3 million people displaced for the dam and now if the dam breaks it could take more lives. 
&nbsp; 
China has built more than 80,000 and counting but none of them compares to the Three Gorges Dam. China shows it off as an engineering feat. However, the dam has been the root of many problems for the country. The dam has been controversial from the beginning.&nbsp;

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It was pitched as the solution for the yearly flooding of the Yangzi river but right from the time its construction began, the Three Gorges Dam has been taking lives.

The project came with a hefty price tag and the people of China have been paying for it with their money and their lives. The construction began in 1993, and the Three Gorges took 17 years to build.

China has admitted that more than 100 workers died during construction. On paper, the cost of the project was around $24 billion but critics say the actual cost was far more. The money, of course, came out of the taxpayer's kitty. There were protests against the dam but China paid no heed to it.

According to Human Rights Watch, China used the police to contain social unrest with critics denied platforms to voice their opposition as more than one million people were allegedly forced to resettle.

In 2007, Fu Xiuqiong, a Chinese citizen, found herself swamped as water began rising around her farm. The dam reservoir began filling and she was given no land as compensation nor did she have any money to relocate.

"Now, where we're located, it is extremely hard to survive. We are not able to leave, after the big migration, they didn't give us the land, we didn't get any of the money from the government," Fu Xiuqiong, resident on Three Gorges dam reservoir, said.

The Communist Party had its way with the dam but it regretted its decision later. In 2011, Beijing issued a rare admission - the Three Gorges Dam had caused a slew of urgent environmental, geological and economic problems.

According to a report, damming up too much water increased the frequency of earthquakes and high demand for water led to droughts. There was widespread contamination of Yangtze tributaries and lakes as copper, zinc, lead and ammonium was found in the water samples.

When it was pitched first, the Three Gorges was deemed necessary to power China’s industrial boom but, since the day the project began it has taken hundreds of lives and caused irreparable damage to nature.

Today, the floodwaters are testing the Three Gorges again and there are fears that it might collapse, if it does, the dam will trigger yet another catastrophe.

The fury of nature in China is not new as out of the ten largest floods in the last century seven has been in China. The Three Gorges Dam has been a story of a manmade disaster in China.

The fury of nature in China is not new as out of the ten largest floods in the last century seven has been in China. The Three Gorges Dam has been a story of a manmade disaster in China. Its birth had led to the flooding of 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,352 villages with a total of 1.3 million people displaced for the dam and now if the dam breaks it could take more lives. China has built more than 80,000 and counting but none of them compares to the Three Gorges Dam. China shows it off as an engineering feat. However, the dam has been the root of many problems for the country. The dam has been controversial from the beginning. It was pitched as the solution for the yearly flooding of the Yangzi river but right from the time its construction began, the Three Gorges Dam has been taking lives. The project came with a hefty price tag and the people of China have been paying for it with their money and their lives. The construction began in 1993, and the Three Gorges took 17 years to build. China has admitted that more than 100 workers died during construction. On paper, the cost of the project was around $24 billion but critics say the actual cost was far more. The money, of course, came out of the taxpayer's kitty. There were protests against the dam but China paid no heed to it. According to Human Rights Watch, China used the police to contain social unrest with critics denied platforms to voice their opposition as more than one million people were allegedly forced to resettle. In 2007, Fu Xiuqiong, a Chinese citizen, found herself swamped as water began rising around her farm. The dam reservoir began filling and she was given no land as compensation nor did she have any money to relocate. "Now, where we're located, it is extremely hard to survive. We are not able to leave, after the big migration, they didn't give us the land, we didn't get any of the money from the government," Fu Xiuqiong, resident on Three Gorges dam reservoir, said. The Communist Party had its way with the dam but it regretted its decision later. In 2011, Beijing issued a rare admission - the Three Gorges Dam had caused a slew of urgent environmental, geological and economic problems. According to a report, damming up too much water increased the frequency of earthquakes and high demand for water led to droughts. There was widespread contamination of Yangtze tributaries and lakes as copper, zinc, lead and ammonium was found in the water samples. When it was pitched first, the Three Gorges was deemed necessary to power China’s industrial boom but, since the day the project began it has taken hundreds of lives and caused irreparable damage to nature. Today, the floodwaters are testing the Three Gorges again and there are fears that it might collapse, if it does, the dam will trigger yet another catastrophe.

As floods hit China, the Three Gorges Dam faces grave test

As European nations put strict rules in place for foreign travellers, China on Tuesday announced travellers would need to prove to authorities they don't have coronavirus before boarding the flight.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-cross-148-million-death-toll-at-612830-314846">Also Read:&nbsp;Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 14.8 million, death toll at 612,830</a>

China's restive Xinjiang province witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases as authorities curtailed flights in capital Urumqi and shut down subway and public transport. Urumqi had reported 17 cases of coronavirus last Saturday. Health workers in the city set up mass screening for the virus as the cases spiked.

Watch:

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Earlier, the country's capital Beijing had experienced a huge spike in cases leading the authorities to shut down markets after traces of COVID-19 was discovered on chopping boards in the capital's Xinfadi market.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), travellers would have to upload a picture of their coronavirus test&nbsp; on the health app&nbsp;and foreigners would need to submit it to the Chinese embassy or consulate.

The CAAC said the tests should be done within five days of travel.

China had earlier clampdown on international travel in March as the coronavirus cases overwhelmed the country but has&nbsp;gradually allowed business travellers, diplomats and employees of large enterprises while easing restrictions on flights from foreign airlines.

China recently announced that it was re "pressing ahead" with preparations for the Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in 2022. However, Chinese authorities have ruled out hosting any international sports events this year to keep the virus in check. &nbsp;

As European nations put strict rules in place for foreign travellers, China on Tuesday announced travellers would need to prove to authorities they don't have coronavirus before boarding the flight.

As European nations put strict rules in place for foreign travellers, China on Tuesday announced travellers would need to prove to authorities they don't have coronavirus before boarding the flight. Also Read: Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 14.8 million, death toll at 612,830 China's restive Xinjiang province witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases as authorities curtailed flights in capital Urumqi and shut down subway and public transport. Urumqi had reported 17 cases of coronavirus last Saturday. Health workers in the city set up mass screening for the virus as the cases spiked. Watch: Earlier, the country's capital Beijing had experienced a huge spike in cases leading the authorities to shut down markets after traces of COVID-19 was discovered on chopping boards in the capital's Xinfadi market. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), travellers would have to upload a picture of their coronavirus test on the health app and foreigners would need to submit it to the Chinese embassy or consulate. The CAAC said the tests should be done within five days of travel. China had earlier clampdown on international travel in March as the coronavirus cases overwhelmed the country but has gradually allowed business travellers, diplomats and employees of large enterprises while easing restrictions on flights from foreign airlines. China recently announced that it was re "pressing ahead" with preparations for the Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in 2022. However, Chinese authorities have ruled out hosting any international sports events this year to keep the virus in check.

China asks air travellers to upload COVID-19 test in app before arrival

President Trump attacked China once again over the coronavirus pandemic asserting that it's a “worldwide problem” caused by China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-safe-produced-immune-response-data-reveals-314716">Also Read:&nbsp;Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial: Safe &amp; produced immune response, data reveals</a>

"China didn't stop the virus - they could have stopped it but let it go to Europe and the US. It's a worldwide problem now caused by China."

Watch:

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The US president asserted that he had "very positive" development on vaccines and on the therapeutic front.

Trump said he will resume his televised coronavirus briefings, saying: "I think it's a great way to get information out to the public, we're doing very well in so many different ways." The US president&nbsp;is likely to start is press briefing from Tuesday.

On Sunday, the United States reported 63,872 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University live coronavirus tracker. The US also recorded 514 deaths taking the total death toll in the country to 140,474.

The United States has reported over 60,000 new cases every day for six days last week with the cases touching over 77,000 on Friday. &nbsp;Los Angeles and California reported 4,592 new cases of coronavirus in a single day as the US continued to battle the virus.

Amid the pandemic, David Yutaka Ige, governor of Hawaii had declared that visitors will also have to submit COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departing for the state and present proof of negative result upon arrival in Hawaii. New York has already extended list of 22 US states whose citizens will have self-quarantine themselves after arrival.

In a similar move, Chicago has added a list of visitors from 17 US states to self-isolate for two weeks.

President Trump attacked China once again over the coronavirus pandemic asserting that it's a “worldwide problem” caused by China. Also Read: Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial: Safe & produced immune response, data reveals "China didn't stop the virus - they could have stopped it but let it go to Europe and the US.

President Trump attacked China once again over the coronavirus pandemic asserting that it's a “worldwide problem” caused by China. Also Read: Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial: Safe & produced immune response, data reveals "China didn't stop the virus - they could have stopped it but let it go to Europe and the US. It's a worldwide problem now caused by China." Watch: The US president asserted that he had "very positive" development on vaccines and on the therapeutic front. Trump said he will resume his televised coronavirus briefings, saying: "I think it's a great way to get information out to the public, we're doing very well in so many different ways." The US president is likely to start is press briefing from Tuesday. On Sunday, the United States reported 63,872 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University live coronavirus tracker. The US also recorded 514 deaths taking the total death toll in the country to 140,474. The United States has reported over 60,000 new cases every day for six days last week with the cases touching over 77,000 on Friday. Los Angeles and California reported 4,592 new cases of coronavirus in a single day as the US continued to battle the virus. Amid the pandemic, David Yutaka Ige, governor of Hawaii had declared that visitors will also have to submit COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departing for the state and present proof of negative result upon arrival in Hawaii. New York has already extended list of 22 US states whose citizens will have self-quarantine themselves after arrival. In a similar move, Chicago has added a list of visitors from 17 US states to self-isolate for two weeks.

They could have stopped the virus but didn't: Trump lashes out at China again

It is common practice among journalists motivated by a political agenda to misunderstand or misrepresent evidence in order to create or sustain a narrative that conforms to a predetermined conclusion.

Science now seems to be succumbing to the same strategy.

In order to escape the responsibility for the global pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively promoted the narrative in both the scientific literature and the main stream media that COVID-19 is just another naturally-occurring disease transmission from animals to humans.

For example, China’s state-controlled media outlet, CGTN, republished an <a href="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-18/Here-s-how-scientists-know-the-coronavirus-wasn-t-made-in-a-lab-SerXv8GSU8/index.html">edited version</a> of “Here's how scientists know the coronavirus came from bats and wasn't made in a lab,” written by Polly Hayes, a lecturer in Parasitology and Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster in England.

Both articles begin by stating, unequivocally, that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, shows no signs of genetic manipulation.

They quote Hayes: “If the virus had been genetically engineered in a lab there would be signs of manipulation in the genome data. This would include evidence of an existing viral sequence as the backbone for the new virus, and obvious, targeted inserted (or deleted) genetic elements."

"But no such evidence exists. It is very unlikely that any techniques used to genetically engineer the virus would not leave a genetic signature, like specific identifiable pieces of DNA code.”

First of all, SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, which means<a href="https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/covid-19-rna-coronavirus-research-428952/">https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/covid-19-rna-coronavirus-research-428952/</a> that unlike in humans and other mammals, the genetic material for SARS-CoV-2 is encoded in RNA, not DNA.

Furthermore, the ability to detect genetic manipulation of viruses remains a controversial issue, although the continual regurgitation in the media that manipulation always results in a genetic signature has reached the level of urban myth.

It is important to note that, so far, the natural source of SARS-CoV-2 has not been known. Although its “backbone” appears to originate in bats, no intermediate animal host has been identified.

In a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01989-z">news article</a> recently published by the international science journal Nature, the progress, or lack thereof, identifying the natural source of SARS-CoV-2 was reviewed.

According to the article, the two closest, but nevertheless relatively distant, relatives of SARS-CoV-2 are the bat coronaviruses RaTG13 and RmYN02, whose genomes are 96% and 93% identical to SARS-CoV-2, respectively.

Although RaTG13 is 96% identical overall to SARS-CoV-2, its receptor binding domain (RBD), which allows the virus to bind to the human angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE2), is structurally different and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9">suggests</a> that RaTG13 may not bind efficiently to the human ACE2.

The Nature article also does not mention that the RBD of RmYN02 showed only a <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)30662-X.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098222030662X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">61.3% sequence identity</a> with SARS-CoV-2, meaning it is highly unlikely that RmYN02 could bind to human cells at all.

If none of the likely bat coronavirus relatives could bind effectively to human cells and no intermediate animal hosts have been identified, how did SARS-CoV-2 attain such a high affinity for human infection even in the earliest cases?

Such “pre-adaptation” for human infectivity and pathogenicity can be easily explained by genetic manipulation.

In 2015, Ralph Baric from the University of North Carolina and Zheng-Li Shi, the “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/">bat woman</a>” from the Wuhan Institute of Virology jointly published a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985">scientific article</a> describing the combination of the RBD from a newly isolated coronavirus (SHC014) and the “backbone” from SARS-CoV, the coronavirus responsible for the 2002-2003 pandemic.

The above experiment produced a novel virus, chimera SHC014-MA15, which showed “robust viral replication both in vitro [cell cultures] and in vivo [animals],” using models adapted to test human infectivity.

Similar increases in human infectivity and pathogenicity can also be <a href="https://www.minervanett.no/files/2020/07/13/TheEvidenceNoNaturalEvol.pdf">accomplished</a> by several “point” replacements of single amino acids capable of having profound clinical effects, changes which might be otherwise indistinguishable from natural mutation.

Finally, the most conspicuous sign of SARS-CoV-2 genetic manipulation is the presence of a furin polybasic cleavage site, a structure that is not present in any of the coronaviruses so far identified as possible direct ancestors.

In fact, the <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.12.148726v1">artificial removal</a> of the furin polybasic cleavage site from SARS-CoV-2 does not affect human infectivity, indicating that it is not needed for that purpose and would be unlikely to appear through positive selection in the course of a natural evolutionary process.

The techniques for the artificial insertion of such furin polybasic cleavage sites have been used for over ten years.

Contrary to the scientific or media “conventional wisdom” and Chinese propaganda, there is substantially more evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is a consequence of coronavirus genetic manipulation.

Lawrence Sellin, PhD is a retired US Army Reserve colonel. He has previously worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

It is common practice among journalists motivated by a political agenda to misunderstand or misrepresent evidence in order to create or sustain a narrative that conforms to a predetermined conclusion.

It is common practice among journalists motivated by a political agenda to misunderstand or misrepresent evidence in order to create or sustain a narrative that conforms to a predetermined conclusion. Science now seems to be succumbing to the same strategy. In order to escape the responsibility for the global pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively promoted the narrative in both the scientific literature and the main stream media that COVID-19 is just another naturally-occurring disease transmission from animals to humans. For example, China’s state-controlled media outlet, CGTN, republished an edited version of “Here's how scientists know the coronavirus came from bats and wasn't made in a lab,” written by Polly Hayes, a lecturer in Parasitology and Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster in England. Both articles begin by stating, unequivocally, that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, shows no signs of genetic manipulation. They quote Hayes: “If the virus had been genetically engineered in a lab there would be signs of manipulation in the genome data. This would include evidence of an existing viral sequence as the backbone for the new virus, and obvious, targeted inserted (or deleted) genetic elements." "But no such evidence exists. It is very unlikely that any techniques used to genetically engineer the virus would not leave a genetic signature, like specific identifiable pieces of DNA code.” First of all, SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, which meanshttps://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/covid-19-rna-coronavirus-research-428952/ that unlike in humans and other mammals, the genetic material for SARS-CoV-2 is encoded in RNA, not DNA. Furthermore, the ability to detect genetic manipulation of viruses remains a controversial issue, although the continual regurgitation in the media that manipulation always results in a genetic signature has reached the level of urban myth. It is important to note that, so far, the natural source of SARS-CoV-2 has not been known. Although its “backbone” appears to originate in bats, no intermediate animal host has been identified. In a news article recently published by the international science journal Nature, the progress, or lack thereof, identifying the natural source of SARS-CoV-2 was reviewed. According to the article, the two closest, but nevertheless relatively distant, relatives of SARS-CoV-2 are the bat coronaviruses RaTG13 and RmYN02, whose genomes are 96% and 93% identical to SARS-CoV-2, respectively. Although RaTG13 is 96% identical overall to SARS-CoV-2, its receptor binding domain (RBD), which allows the virus to bind to the human angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE2), is structurally different and suggests that RaTG13 may not bind efficiently to the human ACE2. The Nature article also does not mention that the RBD of RmYN02 showed only a 61.3% sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2, meaning it is highly unlikely that RmYN02 could bind to human cells at all. If none of the likely bat coronavirus relatives could bind effectively to human cells and no intermediate animal hosts have been identified, how did SARS-CoV-2 attain such a high affinity for human infection even in the earliest cases? Such “pre-adaptation” for human infectivity and pathogenicity can be easily explained by genetic manipulation. In 2015, Ralph Baric from the University of North Carolina and Zheng-Li Shi, the “bat woman” from the Wuhan Institute of Virology jointly published a scientific article describing the combination of the RBD from a newly isolated coronavirus (SHC014) and the “backbone” from SARS-CoV, the coronavirus responsible for the 2002-2003 pandemic. The above experiment produced a novel virus, chimera SHC014-MA15, which showed “robust viral replication both in vitro [cell cultures] and in vivo [animals],” using models adapted to test human infectivity. Similar increases in human infectivity and pathogenicity can also be accomplished by several “point” replacements of single amino acids capable of having profound clinical effects, changes which might be otherwise indistinguishable from natural mutation. Finally, the most conspicuous sign of SARS-CoV-2 genetic manipulation is the presence of a furin polybasic cleavage site, a structure that is not present in any of the coronaviruses so far identified as possible direct ancestors. In fact, the artificial removal of the furin polybasic cleavage site from SARS-CoV-2 does not affect human infectivity, indicating that it is not needed for that purpose and would be unlikely to appear through positive selection in the course of a natural evolutionary process. The techniques for the artificial insertion of such furin polybasic cleavage sites have been used for over ten years. Contrary to the scientific or media “conventional wisdom” and Chinese propaganda, there is substantially more evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is a consequence of coronavirus genetic manipulation. Lawrence Sellin, PhD is a retired US Army Reserve colonel. He has previously worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

How scientific misinformation about COVID-19 has become Chinese propaganda

As two WHO experts are currently en route to meet Chinese officials to learn about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in the last six weeks&nbsp;coronavirus cases have more than doubled worldwide.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/dharavi-asias-largest-slum-reports-12-new-covid-19-cases-312340">Also Read:&nbsp;Dharavi, Asia's largest slum reports 12 new COVID-19 cases</a>

"There are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control," the WHO chief said, adding, "and some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi – a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai – a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus."

Tedros said the WHO officials travelling to China currently will help lay the groundwork for the WHO-led international mission to understand the origins of the virus and meet fellow scientists and learn about the progress made in understanding the animal reservoir for COVID-19 and how the disease jumped between animals to humans.

"Across all walks of life, we are all being tested to the limit," Tedros said, "from countries where there is exponential growth&nbsp;to places that are loosening restrictions and now starting to see cases rise."

"Only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn this pandemic around," the WHO chief said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme, said it was unlikely that the new coronavirus would be eliminated.

"In the current situation it is unlikely we can eradicate this virus," Ryan said while stressing that "by extinguishing clusters of infection, the world could potentially avoid the worst of having second peaks and having to move backwards in terms of lockdown". 
&nbsp;

As two WHO experts are currently en route to meet Chinese officials to learn about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in the last six weeks coronavirus cases have more than doubled worldwide.

As two WHO experts are currently en route to meet Chinese officials to learn about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in the last six weeks coronavirus cases have more than doubled worldwide. Also Read: Dharavi, Asia's largest slum reports 12 new COVID-19 cases "There are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control," the WHO chief said, adding, "and some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi – a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai – a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus." Tedros said the WHO officials travelling to China currently will help lay the groundwork for the WHO-led international mission to understand the origins of the virus and meet fellow scientists and learn about the progress made in understanding the animal reservoir for COVID-19 and how the disease jumped between animals to humans. "Across all walks of life, we are all being tested to the limit," Tedros said, "from countries where there is exponential growth to places that are loosening restrictions and now starting to see cases rise." "Only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn this pandemic around," the WHO chief said. Meanwhile, Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme, said it was unlikely that the new coronavirus would be eliminated. "In the current situation it is unlikely we can eradicate this virus," Ryan said while stressing that "by extinguishing clusters of infection, the world could potentially avoid the worst of having second peaks and having to move backwards in terms of lockdown".

Intense COVID-19 outbreaks can be controlled, Mumbai's Dharavi an example: WHO chief Tedros

First came the Wuhan virus, then the swine flu scare followed by the bubonic plague in inner Mongolia, China is deepening the global health crisis&nbsp;by failing to contain one outbreak after another.

Beijing has been busy profiteering from the pandemic - flexing muscles in Ladakh, nitpicking on other countries, the latest being Kazakhstan. China now claims Kazakhstan is experiencing an outbreak of what it calls an "unknown pneumonia".

China says that this "unknown pneumonia" is deadlier than the Wuhan virus. Earlier, the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan had issued a warning on July 19 informing the Chinese citizens in Kazakhstan that an unknown pneumonia had killed over 1,700 people. The embassy said that the cases of unidentified pneumonia are on the rise. China surprisingly was also armed with data.

It said that the unknown pneumonia had killed nearly 1800 people this year with over 620 deaths taking place in June alone. The Chinese embassy said that the unknown pneumonia was spreading in the regions of Atyrau, Aktobe and Shymkent while maintaining that it was "much deadlier than COIVD-19".

China, however, has not yet released verified data on the Wuhan virus.

Kazakhstan claims that China's information "is not consistent with reality". Kazakhstan, however, has acknowledged the presence of "viral pneumonia of unspecified aetiology" but it says that the outbreak is neither new nor unknown adding that the WHO guidelines were followed.

Kazakhstan has not released any data but media reports claim that pneumonia cases in capital Nursultan, has more than doubled in June with more than 200 people being admitted to hospitals every day.

The question being asked is what are we to make of this? Is this a new virus? or is this virus related to COVID-19? and is China trying to wash its hands off another potential outbreak? one that Beijing itself claims "is deadlier than COVID-19".

It is something that the World Health Organisation will have to decide.

As far as China is concerned, it is better off concentrating on the numerous problems crying for attention back home maybe it can start by releasing data points on the origin of the Wuhan virus.

First came the Wuhan virus, then the swine flu scare followed by the bubonic plague in inner Mongolia, China is deepening the global health crisis by failing to contain one outbreak after another.

First came the Wuhan virus, then the swine flu scare followed by the bubonic plague in inner Mongolia, China is deepening the global health crisis by failing to contain one outbreak after another. Beijing has been busy profiteering from the pandemic - flexing muscles in Ladakh, nitpicking on other countries, the latest being Kazakhstan. China now claims Kazakhstan is experiencing an outbreak of what it calls an "unknown pneumonia". China says that this "unknown pneumonia" is deadlier than the Wuhan virus. Earlier, the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan had issued a warning on July 19 informing the Chinese citizens in Kazakhstan that an unknown pneumonia had killed over 1,700 people. The embassy said that the cases of unidentified pneumonia are on the rise. China surprisingly was also armed with data. It said that the unknown pneumonia had killed nearly 1800 people this year with over 620 deaths taking place in June alone. The Chinese embassy said that the unknown pneumonia was spreading in the regions of Atyrau, Aktobe and Shymkent while maintaining that it was "much deadlier than COIVD-19". China, however, has not yet released verified data on the Wuhan virus. Kazakhstan claims that China's information "is not consistent with reality". Kazakhstan, however, has acknowledged the presence of "viral pneumonia of unspecified aetiology" but it says that the outbreak is neither new nor unknown adding that the WHO guidelines were followed. Kazakhstan has not released any data but media reports claim that pneumonia cases in capital Nursultan, has more than doubled in June with more than 200 people being admitted to hospitals every day. The question being asked is what are we to make of this? Is this a new virus? or is this virus related to COVID-19? and is China trying to wash its hands off another potential outbreak? one that Beijing itself claims "is deadlier than COVID-19". It is something that the World Health Organisation will have to decide. As far as China is concerned, it is better off concentrating on the numerous problems crying for attention back home maybe it can start by releasing data points on the origin of the Wuhan virus.

Now, China claims Kazakhstan's 'unknown pneumonia' deadlier than COVID-19

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