Norwegian scientist Birger Sorensen recently claimed that the novel coronavirus did not originate naturally. The claim also found support from the former head of Britain's MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove.
Sorensen co-authored a study along with British professor Angus Dalgleish showing that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contained sequences that appeared to be artificially inserted as published in the Quarterly Review of Biophysics.
The scientists highlighted a key point -- lack of mutation of novel coronavirus since its discovery, suggesting the virus's full adaptation to humans. The study further explains the grounds on which the vaccine candidate Biovacc-19 is being developed, and is now in advanced pre-clinical stage of development.
Properties of COVID-19 Virus Not Found in Nature
Sorensen told NRK that the properties of COVID-19 virus differed greatly from that of SARS and were never previously detected in nature. He further said that China and the US had collaborated for many years on coronavirus research.
He claimed that both countries participated in something called "gain of function" studies where the pathogenicity and transmissibility of pathogens capable of a pandemic were done for better understanding.
This comes after months of rumors and conspiracies saying that the virus was made in the highly advanced virology lab in Wuhan. However, the lab officials have termed such claims as fabricated.
Sorensen pointed out that it was Chinese scientists who first released the coronavirus genetic sequence which this British-Norwegian study claims to have originated unnaturally. The Norwegian scientist claimed that China had put a lid on similar studies since then.
MI6 Former Head Agrees With The Study
Five year MI6 head Dearlove told the Daily Telegraph citing the research showing that COVID-19 pandemic may have had its origins in a lab.
He suggests that biosecurity failure might have led the novel coronavirus to escape the lab during experiments with bat viruses. However, he said that it might have escaped not deliberately and China clearly tried to cover this up.
"I think this started as an accident," said Dearlove who headed MI6 from 1999 to 2004, questioning if China will take responsibility and whether the country should pay any compensation. He added that this report was rejected by many scientific publications to avoid angering China.
