At this COVID-19 traceability conference, some scientists said that they were ＂surprised＂ and ＂sad＂

Adhere to the scientific spirit and oppose political manipulation.

On the afternoon of April 8, the State Council Press Office held a press conference. Shen Hongbing, deputy director of the National CDC and director of the China CDC, and relevant experts introduced the traceability research of COVID-19 in China and answered questions from reporters.

Politicize the origin of the new crown

Is intolerable to the scientific community in China.

Shen Hongbing, deputy director of the National CDC and director of the China CDC.It is said that more than three years have passed since the COVID-19 epidemic was discovered at the end of 2019. During this period, we have been continuously promoting the related traceability research. Tracing the source of Covid-19 is a very professional issue. The China government and China scientists have always maintained a scientific attitude, and they all hope to find out the source of Covid-19, which is of great significance to prevent similar epidemics from happening again.

First of all, as an open country, after the outbreak, we have always adhered to a scientific attitude on the scientific issue of traceability and actively communicated and cooperated with the World Health Organization. In response to the resolution of the 73rd World Health Assembly,Take the initiative to invite WHO to send an international expert group to China twice to carry out joint research on traceability.Adhering to the principle of "jointly working out the work plan, jointly conducting analysis and research, jointly writing the research report and jointly publishing the research results", the first phase of the joint traceability research was successfully completed in Wuhan, and the resulting "Tracing Research of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 convened by the World Health Organization: China Part-WHO Joint Research Report" was fully recognized by domestic and foreign experts and WHO who participated in the research at that time.

Throughout the first phase of joint research,China provided the Joint Expert Group with all the traceable information at that time, and did not conceal any cases, samples and their testing and analysis results.Recently, some WHO officials and experts have expressed their opinions at will and rashly denied the results at that time, which is totally contrary to the scientific spirit, rude and disrespectful to scientists from all over the world who participated in the early traceability work, and a manifestation of politicizing the traceability of the new crown, which is intolerable to the scientific community in China and unacceptable to the global scientific community.

Second, on the basis of the huge human, material and financial resources invested in the first phase of joint research, we have not stopped tracing the source of Covid-19, but still pooled resources to continue to carry out comprehensive scientific investigation and research work in epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, animals and environment and even laboratory inspection. The relevant progress and conclusions have also been shared with the international scientific community and peers by Chinese scientists through the exchange of reports with WHO and SAGO, or by publishing articles. Numerous research findings have further confirmed the results of the first phase of joint research.

Shen Hongbing said,We advise the people concerned in the World Health Organization to return to a scientific and just position, and not to take the initiative or be forced to become a tool for individual countries to politicize the origin of COVID-19.

Respond to the accusations of individual WHO officials

Scientists say they feel "surprised" and "sad"

In response to the accusation of individual WHO officials that the China government’s release of COVID-19 data has not been open and transparent, which has affected the global traceability research of COVID-19,Zhou Lei, researcher of China CDC.He said that as a Chinese scientist who personally experienced the first phase of joint traceability research, "I personally feel quite surprised."

She explained that, because in fact, in Wuhan at that time, we jointly studied scientists, including foreign and domestic joint expert working groups, and in the process of joint traceability research, Chinese scientists shared all the data and materials we had, including the early case information, and the case information of more than 76,000 people with possible and suspicious Covid-19 infection in Wuhan at that time, in a scientific, open, objective and transparent working principle.

In addition, at that time, more than 38,000 samples of poultry and livestock and more than 41,000 samples of wild animals collected in China from 2018 to 2020 were tested for antibodies or nucleic acids. These results suggest that Covid-19 is not positive. We also investigated the upstream and downstream supply chains of all animal products in South China seafood market at that time, and found no evidence of virus spreading among animals. These research results were shared with the international expert team selected by WHO at that time, and everyone recognized them.

In the first stage of joint traceability research, we also considered the possibility of laboratory leakage in the design stage with a scientific and comprehensive attitude. In order to study this aspect, during our stay in Wuhan, we organized a joint team of experts to investigate and study in many laboratories in Wuhan, and conducted in-depth exchanges. Moreover, we also investigated and analyzed all the health monitoring data and possible clinical data of laboratory staff, including students who were in the laboratory at that time. In every way,In the first stage of joint traceability research, we fully shared our research results and data without any concealment or reservation.

Zhou Lei also said that after the release of the traceability report of the first phase of the early joint research, it was widely recognized, including WHO and international counterparts. But I don’t know why there is a questioning voice now. "This is also what makes me feel sad."

She emphasized that both Chinese scientists and top international experts selected by WHO worked very hard in the first phase of joint research, working day and night. We have got such a joint research report with great scientific value, which deserves due respect, and should not be denied or blamed. So I suggest that you still adhere to the attitude of scientific traceability, orWe should continue to adhere to scientific traceability, and we should devote ourselves to the next stage of work together, and stop blaming and suspecting each other, which will not help us to find out the origin of the virus.

Zhou Lei bluntly said that WHO is very important. It is an authoritative professional organization recognized by the international community, and its scientificity, rigor and impartiality are beyond doubt. Now I put forward the view that "if we make such accusations, especially if we want to deny the results of our first-stage joint traceability investigation, I am afraid it will damage the credibility of WHO."

There is not enough evidence to prove that raccoons are the source of virus transmission!

According to the viewpoint that raccoons or Covid-19 are the intermediate hosts in South China seafood market in China,Tong Yigang, Dean and Professor of beijing university of chemical technology Life College.In response, he said that some new experimental data recently found the raccoon dog, but now there is far from enough evidence to prove that it is the source of the virus. Many people hope to find the chain and evidence (the source and spread of Covid-19), but we are the same. We very much hope to find out where the source of the virus really is. Scientists in China and many parts of the world are doing this. But just from the data in this article, it is not enough, it is far from it.

Tong Yigang said that there was an article in China earlier that some animal samples were found in the early environmental samples of COVID-19, which were more human samples, as well as other samples of chickens, pigs, dogs, cats and various birds. In fact, these animal samples were far more than raccoon dogs. From this point of view alone, it is not enough.

In addition, at that time, a large number of specimens were measured in South China seafood market, including hundreds of animal specimens, and no animals were found to carry Covid-19. It is not enough to infer evidence from the environment to find animal samples. In addition, for example, the virus sequence we found in the environment is actually almost 100% identical to the sequence of the patient who was ill at that time, which also suggests that the samples in the environment are likely to come from people, not animals, and there is a lot of evidence.

At that time, the sequence of raccoon dog existed in many negative specimens in the environment, and even the sequence of raccoon dog in this specimen was more than that of the positive raccoon dog, but there was no sequence of this virus in the negative specimens, and it was difficult to explain why the virus must have originated from raccoon dog. Besides, even if raccoons are infected, there are many people infected with this disease in the seafood market in South China. It is entirely possible that people have polluted the environment or infected raccoons. Even if raccoons are positive, there is still this possibility. Therefore, I think it is not rigorous and scientific enough to draw such a conclusion based on the current little data.

Now Chinese scientists and experts believe that

What is the most likely origin of COVID-19?

Zhou Lei explained that regarding the origin of Covid-19, we had reached a conclusion during the first phase of joint research, and this conclusion was fully displayed in the joint research report jointly published by us and WHO at that time. In the report, we clearly put forward the results of hypothesis research on several aspects of the origin of the COVID-19 epidemic. Let me reiterate this conclusion: the possibility of zoonotic diseases spilling directly is "possible to probable", and we think it is "probable to very probable" to introduce them through intermediate hosts, "possible" to introduce them through cold chains, and "extremely impossible" to introduce our research judgment through laboratories.

After finishing the first phase of joint traceability research in Wuhan, we did not stop studying, but continued to carry out a lot of research work according to the work plan and suggestions for the next phase formulated in Wuhan at that time. All kinds of research results also confirmed our research conclusions in the first phase in Wuhan, and we have not changed our judgment until now.

Tong Yigang said,At present, there is no scientific basis to clarify the real origin of Covid-19.There are positive samples in the seafood market environment in South China, and most of the host information detected in these samples is human information, as well as other animals’ information, which also suggests that the cases in the seafood market in South China are probably from people, not from animals in the seafood market. How, where and how did Covid-19 infect people? This needs further study.