What if the coronavirus had escaped from a Wuhan laboratory? This thesis, which is increasingly mentioned, especially by the American media, is gaining momentum. However, if the track of an accidental leak of the virus in nature is a possibility, that of its creation from scratch by man is for the moment pure speculation, and remains refuted by most of the community scientist. All precautions should be taken, but there are several indications that China has not said everything about the spread of the Covid-19.
"There is nothing to say that there would have been human intervention"
A few days ago, the Washington Post revealed that American diplomats "repeatedly" visited this famous P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Virology Institute two years ago. These dignitaries sent two official warnings to alert the deficiencies of this institute in terms of security and sealing compared to the outside. At that time studies were carried out on coronaviruses from bats.
>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation
The information caused a stir. So much so that some controversial figures, like Professor Luc Montagnier, Nobel Prize in medicine for the co-discovery of HIV, today assure that this new virus was created from scratch. Yesterday evening, on the PourquoiDocteur site, he declared that the complete genome of this new virus has sequences from the AIDS virus. "This virus may have escaped its promoters," he said. "I think they wanted to get an HIV vaccine."
This hypothesis of a virus created by man is nevertheless refuted by most of the scientific body. For the Pasteur Institute, which studied the genetic code of Covid-19, similarities are frequent and "there is nothing to say that there would have been human intervention", assures a researcher in Le Monde.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> Can France hope for a more favorable scenario than Italy?
> Are women and people with blood type O more resistant?
> Are certain serious forms linked to a genetic factor?
> How will the distribution of masks take place in France?
> Back to school on May 11: under what conditions?
> How to keep sleep during confinement?
"There is no evidence (...) just a few clues"
Regarding the track of an accidental leak of the virus due to poor security standards, François Godement, historian and specialist in China at the Montaigne Institute, is cautious. Questioned Friday by Europe 1, it estimated that this theory was not impossible, but that it was "not demonstrated". "There is no evidence (...) just a few clues".
For its part, China continues to deny, without convincing. American Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo said on Thursday he had launched an investigation.
>> PODCAST - Coronavirus: find all the answers to your questions here