Chinese scientists claim Covid came from India or Bangladesh as they try to shift blame from Wuhan in bombshell report
SCIENTISTS in China have claimed that coronavirus may have originated in India or Bangladesh as they try to shift the blame from Wuhan.
A paper by researchers at the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences suggests the virus existed on the Indian subcontinent before the Wuhan outbreak in December last year - but the theory is disputed.
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The research, led by Dr Shen Libing, claimed the traditional approach to tracing the origin of coronavirus strains did not work as it used a bat virus discovered in Yunnan, southwest China, several years ago.
And Marc Suchard, professor in human genetics and biostatistics at UCLA, said that the’ “arbitrary collection” of viral strains used was “unlikely to yield the progenitor”.
He acknowledged the method “holds great promise” but said it “comes with considerable uncertainty”.
Dr Shen has said he welcomes scrutiny of his paper, adding: “Only by doing so can it be rightfully refuted or accepted.”
It is generally accepted among scientists that the virus was first transmitted from an animal to a human in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, where wild animals - including bats, marmots and snakes - were traded illegally.
Scientists are still hunting for the animal source of Covid-19, which remains shrouded in mystery - though research from the Wuhan Institute of Virology earlier this year suggested the virus’ genetic makeup was identical to the coronavirus found in bats.
The emergence of the virus prompted a draconian three-month shutdown of Hubei province from January 23 - though it later spread to 218 countries and infected over 61 million people worldwide.
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The pandemic has also caused significant diplomatic tension between the West and Beijing, with leaders including President Donald Trump accusing Beijing of preventing a transparent investigation into the virus and alleging a cover-up.
President Trump even told reporters in May he had seen evidence that the virus had originated in a Wuhan lab - though this theory is highly disputed by scientists.
On the campaign trail in August ahead of the US election, President Trump also said it was a "disgrace" that China had limited the spread of the virus at home but allowed it to reach the rest of the world.
In stark contrast to the US and Europe, China - with the world’s largest population - has largely returned to normal life and has reported only sporadic coronavirus outbreaks since May.
Wuhan, believed to be ground zero, shocked the world when videos emerged of a giant pool party thrown in August.
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The Chinese Communist Party has faced accusations of triumphalism after pointing to the success of its authoritarian methods in contrast with the ‘failings’ of Western democratic countries in containing the outbreak.
According to , the virus has killed over 1,441,100 people worldwide and infected over 61,492,000.