Johannesburg/London: A World Health Organization scientist said Covid-19 comes from bats and can spread among cats, amid an international debate about the virus’s origin.
The novel coronavirus comes from a group of viruses that originate or spread in bats, and it’s still unclear what animal may have transmitted the disease to humans, Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO expert in animal diseases that jump to humans, said Friday in a briefing with reporters. The virus probably arrived in humans through contact with animals raised to supply food, he said.
Recent studies showed that cats can transmit the virus to other cats and the WHO is aware of instances of pets of Covid-19 patients being infected, it said in a statement Friday. While precautions should be taken to avoid the infection of pets from close contact with Covid-19 human cases, further evidence is needed to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease. It’s important to find out which animals can get infected to avoid creating a “reservoir” in another species, Ben Embarek said.
Questions about the origin of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the pandemic, have intensified since U.S. President Donald Trump suggested it came from a laboratory in China. Germany most recently questioned the claim, made by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Der Spiegel reported. Intelligence services from five countries, including the U.S., were unable to confirm his statements, it said. Scientists who have studied the issue maintain that the virus originated in an animal, and probably entered the human population in November.
New Mission
WHO scientists are considering a new mission to China to get more information about the virus’s animal origin, Maria van Kerkhove, one of the agency’s top epidemiologists, said at a press briefing Wednesday. Questions remain about whether the virus traveled directly from bats to people, or if other species were involved.
Pangolins, armored mammals that live in Asia, have been found to harbor versions of Sars-CoV-2 that are similar to those in people. The WHO wanted to conduct more animal investigations on an earlier mission to China, but the lockdown of the outbreak’s epicenter in Wuhan made that impractical, Ben Embarek has said.
The first human cases were detected in and around Wuhan, and most of those people had contact with the animal market, though not all, Ben Embarek said.
Trump has doubled down on claims that the Chinese mistakenly released the virus from the laboratory as the outbreak in the U.S. has grown to become the world’s largest and deadliest. Chinese officials have said that the U.S. has no evidence to back up those claims and called the allegations a blame game.-Bloomberg
Also read: Novel coronavirus outbreak could have begun as early as 6 October 2019: New study
One more thing , we don’t follow or bother what WHO says any more. They all have to go to the hell.
We don’t trust on WHO. WHO is biggest liar & cheater. WHO is responsible for all these deaths , which are going on & on all over the world with the help of liar & rascal friend China. WHO will be never ever forgiven by Anybody & By God Almighty too. We think WHO should be dissolved or finished. Otherwise, there will be more worse consequences the world has to face.
Money manipulated release article
to distort the real thing.
WHO are you nuts ? The Print ? Are you losing hope thats why you support this kind of a nonsense article or you just want to gain a lot comments even they called you bullshit, brainless, fuck off etc cmon dont be a poo do something positive this what people need now. We dont need to know where the hell is virus came from. What we need to know now is the cure. So stop this shit article it will not help.
If it did come from a lab which I find highly unlikely then they didnt do a very good job as the virus kills mostly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions which would have no benefit to the Chinese whatsoever. If the vunerable populations were shielded then the rest of the population would have been able to carry on as normal and the world economy would not be in crisis. The only thing to benefit from all this is the planet. So if you want to blame something blame mother nature for trying to save the Earth. Human nature can be very self destructive from some of the comments it seems as if certain people want World war III to happen. Get a grip we are all human beings trying to survive we should work together not against each other. People in power should take more responsibility for their actions, not cause their nations to hate another.
This virus, in my opinion, was purposely released and I believe that it could lead to the end of humanity. I also believe that every person will get it, or be exposed to it. And that is exactly what a few head scientist, doctors ect. Want. They are going to wait until everyone gets it before a vaccine is released cause they want to profit tremendously from the vaccine. In my personal opinion, I believe that the Dr. Anthony Fauci is in on it together with WHO and President Trump has figured it out too and that’s why he wants Fauci fired and cut off funds to WHO. WE AIN’T STUPID! IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO FIGURE IT OUT. I hope that the ones who are to blame get what’s coming to them. GOD WILL PUNISH THEM.
Bullshit article…
Bullshit what? The study of what species can become infected and which can spread it to member of their own species, was carried out in a lab months ago and is in peer review. It is readily available on line. Cats and ferrets both became infected and spread it to their own species. It was not tested if they spread to humans because that’s not allowed.
A.man.made.virus.thats.made.to.kill.mankind.that.someone.took.of.a.testing.lab.in.china.and.killing.the.weak
That the virus is man made or at least modified is the most likely, same as Sars, same as HIV, same as The black Death (pest). Why? Let’s see in history: how many times this things happen? They come out of the blue, media spreading lies, that’s how the game is played. But to the issue who was the one who deployed the virus, small brains think China, the country who hurt them self? It’s surely all planed out by the biggest idiot in history Donald trump, some may say ouch he did hurt his own country but that’s the thing with him, he doesn’t think and act in a rush and karma kissed his butt. But in the end just another theory, I guess we should be lucky as it also could have been WW3, it’s time and the planet is more than overpopulated. So you want blame someone then blame worldwide all governments as they are all in on it.
This is the biggest bunch of crap Iv3ever heard. So, now I guess people are be killing all the cats oh and all the rest of the animals dogs too because ALL animals have CORONAVIRUS. Im really PISSED OFF that this article even got printed.
Yes this article is bullshit they push other people to abandon their pets and the WHO is supporting this kind of brainless article
Exactly. Humans have to stop eating bats, cats, pangolins and other species. Humans are to blame.
Allow your mind flexibility, the source of the virus is suggesting its bats and it can transfer between animals. Therefore, it’s possible if Chinese people eat small animals as they do, the virus can then jump to humans. When checking things all sources need investigating, which allows to arrive at a correct solution.
Criminal China, Criminal scientists, Strange virus, strong enough to infect the whole world is reinforced in a lab, it’s obvious no animal can transmit such a virus and still be alive out there, this virus is modified and varied somehow to work on human body, it can not directly be transmitted by bats to humans, Damn on Scientists who make it and do nothing now just observing the pain of people and poor families, Shame on WHO
Agree!
This is the biggest bunch of crap Iv3ever heard. So, now I guess people are be killing all the cats oh and all the rest of the animals dogs too because ALL animals have CORONAVIRUS. Im really PISSED OFF that this article even got printed. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS GARBAGE. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU WHO PEOPLE.
I totally agree! People are already surrendering their pets because they don’t have money to feed them….bogwash articles like this is created chaos for animals already suffering. Please withdraw this dumbass article or publish a scientific, cited article with evidence…….which I’m sure you don’t have. I have never seen people push out research in such a short time ever. Is there a Corona Nobel up for grabs?
No one said all animals have Coronavirus and no one said anything about killing animals. You’re pissed about this article? Well I’m pissed about your stupidity🤦♀️
The total answer for this is a world war 3. To end this controversy.