By: Dr. Pashko R. Camaj, Doctor of Public Health Sciences */
A year and a half since the start of the global pandemic COVID-19, the most serious since the Spanish flu of 1918-19, we still do not know the origin of the virus that caused this pandemic. The answer to the question of how the pandemic started has evaded the scientific community. Two competing hypotheses, natural transmission from an animal shelter to humans or a leak from a research laboratory is the focus of scientists. The theory that has recently gained attention is that the pandemic which has killed more than 3.4 million people worldwide, may have come about accidentally from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, although this is not conclusive. President Biden has ordered intelligence officials to provide a report by the end of the summer that could bring us closer to a final clarification. Understanding the origins of the pandemic is essential to developing policies that can reduce the likelihood of future pandemics. This means that if we want to prevent another epidemic, it is vital to discover the origin of COVID-19.
VIRUSES – “LIVING” ONLY INSIDE THE CELLS
Viruses are the smallest of all the microbes. They are unique because they are only alive and able to multiply inside the cells of other living things. The cell they multiply in is called the host cell. A virus is made up of a core of genetic material, either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protective coat called a capsid which is made up of protein. Viruses are capable of latching onto host cells and getting inside them where they “commandeer” the host cell and use its resources to make more viruses, basically reprogramming it to become a virus factory. Emergence of a pathogen such as when viruses switch hosts from animals happens through a process called zoonotic spillover. Most of the human viral and nonviral infectious diseases that have existed for centuries such as measles, influenza, cholera, smallpox (eradicated in 1980), malaria, dengue, HIV, SARS, Ebola and many others—originated by animal-to-human host-switching. The complex genetic events that underlie host-switching differ greatly from pathogen to pathogen, but general mechanisms have been recognized for many of these pathogens.
NATURAL OR LABORATORY VIRUS?
From the beginning of this pandemic, scientists have tried to determine its source. So far, there is no clear and verifiable evidence about the origins of SARS-CoV-2 that can rule out the lab-leak hypothesis, or to prove the alternative – that the virus has a natural origin. Many infectious-disease researchers agree that the most probable scenario is that the virus evolved naturally and spread from a bat either directly to a person or through an intermediate animal. So, what do infectious disease researchers and evolutionary biologists say about these arguments? Many scientists say no. Just because the virus spreads among humans doesn’t mean it was designed to do so. It also flourishes among mink and infects other animals. Importantly, it was not optimally transmissible among humans for the better part of last year. Rather, new, more efficient variants have evolved around the world that have shown to be more transmissible. To name one example, the highly transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported in India (B.1.617.2, or Delta) has mutations that appear to make the virus better at infecting cells
DOES THE VIRUS CONTAINS UNUSUAL FEATURES?
Some lab-leak proponents contend that the virus contains unusual features and genetic sequences signaling that it was engineered in the laboratory. And some say that SARS-CoV-2 spreads among people so readily that it must have been created with that intention. Another argument suggests that SARS-CoV-2 might have derived from coronaviruses found in an unused mine where researchers collected samples from bats between 2012 and 2015. Among the circumstantial evidence that could support the lab-leak theory, some researchers have pointed to the fact that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has in the past conducted a controversial type of scientific research called gain-of-function. Gain-of-function research is a technique used by scientists to enhance aspects of an organism. It is common in some fields to study genetic variations and better understand biological entities – but its use in certain settings to enhance the lethality or transmissibility of a virus has become controversial. The idea is to try and understand these viruses, so we know what we’re facing. The counterargument was, we’re playing with fire. If it turns out that COVID-19 stems from an accidental lab incident from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, it will turn out that that fear was certainly well-founded.
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE ORIGIN OF THE VIRUS
The more we can understand about how this pandemic happened, the better chance we have at stopping it from happening in the future. Understanding how COVID-19 emerged is a critical point on a steep learning curve we must quickly master. As we face the mounting deaths and societal upheavals of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must not lose sight of how this pandemic began, how and why we missed the warning signs, and what we can do to prevent it from happening again—and again. Expanded research to deal with the urgency of the situation, and more scientists, including scientists working in China and other hotspot countries, should be recruited to these efforts, especially in international research partnerships. Full, open international collaboration involving many countries is essential. The results of the researchers’ much-anticipated report still carry the potential for immense fallout. The goal is to understand the virus’ origins enough to be prepared for, or prevent, the next pandemic. If scientists conclude that the virus originated naturally, virologists would likely be to increase their focus on finding precursors to those next pandemic-causing viruses.
ARE THE LABORATORIES SAFE?
If SARS-CoV-2 came from a laboratory, the result would likely be fodder for all sorts of conspiracy theorists. It would in the least require a global crackdown on all high-risk biosafety laboratories. There would be a push to relocate any of these high-security biosafety labs to more remote locations where, if a virus escaped through an accident or breach in safety protocol, it would be easier to contain. More security in labs would not be a bad thing, nor would increase surveillance in the wild. Perhaps more credence should have been given to the last US administration’s position that the lab escape could not be ruled out as it was by much of media and virologists. But we know that the political blame game that comes with the SARS-CoV-2 origin story will likely taint the science around it for decades-and could potentially threaten our preparedness for the next pandemic.
* Vice President of the Pan-Albanian Federation of America – VATRA.