Stay Informed

Kalee Scarbrough

4 September 2024

English 1301

Prof. Hammett                                               

Covid-19

In 2020, the world seemed to come to a grinding halt because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. At the time, there was not much information about the origins of the virus, which meant conspiracy theories were popping up daily around the globe. For example, many claimed it was a man-made virus that had escaped from the Wuhan Lab in China (Linskey 1). Was it simply a virus that had mutated and spread naturally (Linskey)?  According to some, it was most likely a “biological weapon” designed to bring death and destruction to the world (Lynas). Whether it was a natural process, a lab leak, or a biological weapon, with no real definite answers in place, people have continued to develop conspiracy theories to explain this traumatic event.

The origin of COVID-19 has been a topic of significant debate and investigation. The predominant theory is that the virus likely originated in animals, possibly bats, and was transmitted to humans, potentially through an intermediate host. However, there has also been speculation about a possible lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where research on coronaviruses was conducted. Investigations by various organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have sought to explore both possibilities. While the animal origin theory has more support among scientists, the lab leak theory has not been fully dismissed and continues to be investigated. The topic remains complex and politically sensitive, with ongoing discussions about transparency, research safety, and public health. In 1956, the Microbiology The first known case of COVID-19 symptoms is often attributed to a patient referred to as "Patient Zero" or the earliest identified case in Wuhan, China (Kormann). Reports suggest that this individual exhibited symptoms in early December 2019. However, identifying a definitive "first" case is challenging, as the virus may have been circulating unnoticed prior to this. Research has indicated that the earliest clusters of cases were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, but the exact source and timeline of the virus's emergence are still under investigation. Understanding the origins and early spread of COVID-19 is a key focus for epidemiologists and public health officials.

Patient Zero was also a Dr. that soon got the virus on December 1,2019. He had thought he had got it from the seafood market but he in fact got it from the lab. The patient had started to feel oddly strange about the way he was feeling around others when knowing he got the virus. It was hard to decide if it should be covered and kept to himself or figure out if it is something that could be solved with lab equipment. The patient stayed quite from everyone until it was figured out if it could be a man-made virus. In the case of COVID-19, symptoms can include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and loss of taste or smell, among others. The emotional impact of being the first identified case in a pandemic can also be significant, leading to stress and concern about spreading the virus to others. As for what happened to the individual who may be considered patient zero, specific details about their outcome are not publicly available. Most early cases, including those in Wuhan, experienced varying degrees of illness, but many recovered. The focus has largely been on understanding the virus's transmission and spread rather than the personal stories of individual patients.

The Institution of Hubei Province was founded by Chen Huagui and Gao Shangyin. The history of the lab was so incredible in 1961 it became the south China Institute of Microbiology. Later in 1962 it was renamed Wuhan Microbiology institute (Zhihong). Over the years it has been renamed numerous times.

The Wuhan lab in China was accused of the outbreak of Covid 19. On February 28, 2023, controversial claims were made that the pandemic might have leaked from the laboratory (Bostickson1). The FBI director Christopher Wray made the comment that it is most likely how Covid started, and it leaked out which made it originate in an uncontrollable lab. COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel virus which belongs to the family Coronaviridae. It was first reported in December 2019 in the Wuhan city of China and soon after, the virus and hence the disease got spread to the entire world. As of February 26, 2021, SARS-CoV-2 has infected 112.20 million people and caused ,2.49 million deaths across the globe. Although the case fatality rate among SARS-CoV-2 patients is lower (2.15%) than its earlier relatives, SARS-CoV (~9.5%) and MERS-CoV (34.4%), the SARS-CoV-2 has been observed to be more infectious and cause a higher morbidity and mortality rate worldwide (Kumar). In 2019-2020 the first hypothesis posted specific names and people who worked in the lab. The second hypothesis came up with the name “coronavirus or Covid 19” and was believed to lead to increased anxiety, risk aversion and contagious beliefs. The work of the lab and the lab owners should’ve got sued for letting the leak happen. Almost half of the states in the world have had up to half a million deaths in the past 5 years.

When it leaked out of the lab in 2020 a person at Scripps Research lab began tracking the virus. The coronavirus was commonly founded in bats in Southern China. However, it started spreading sickness faster than normal. A biologist by the name Anderson said “most viruses circulating in the wild, though, some can be deadly, are not very good at transmission. They are still animal viruses. This almost from Day One,” and said again to sum it up “appeared like a human virus” (Anderson1). Almost a year later the lab closed due to the leak but soon opened back up to continue the research by how it started leaking. As the pandemic progressed, not everyone was convinced it was the lab leak they say it’s just a conspiracy they don’t believe in (Anderson).

Also, there was something called biological weapon mentioned as well for the start of Covid. Dr. Francis Boyle, who drafted the biological weapon has given detail statement admitting that the 2019 Wuhan virus is an offensive weapon (Skopec). Even though biological warfare is considered a “weapon of mass destruction” it is prohibited by a treaty draft in the United Nations. SARS-CoV-2 has several characteristics of an ideal biologic weapon, including transmission rate, long incubation and even more along the way. The Covid 19 event within the USA created a global narrative on how to respond to a biological crisis such as the weapon. Soon security got high around the labs so the weapon could not be taken by others. The biological weapon got most people’s attention because it was a threat around the families as well as themselves.

Due to the outbreak of the virus, a serious pandemic occurred. Every day, more and more people get diagnosed with the virus, and doctors have yet to find a solution to make the virus go away. Even with the vaccine, Covid will never be gone. Theories still fly around the world while people try to figure out how it ever happened and who or what initiated it. It is a very serious struggle the globe is still trying to fix in today’s time.