A researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is infamous for its work on coronaviruses, has claimed that the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus behind COVID-19, was deliberately engineered as a bioweapon by China.
A researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has declared that China deliberately engineered the COVID-19 virus as a bioweapon to infect people. The researcher, Chao Shao, said that he and his colleagues were tasked with identifying the most effective strain of the virus for spreading among various species, including humans. He also claimed that the virus was tested on human ACE2 receptors, which are the cells that the virus binds to infect people.
Though, Shao’s claims have not been independently verified, and China has denied that it engineered the virus. However, the claims have raised concerns about the safety of research on coronaviruses and other potential bioweapons.
The claims were made by Shaoin an interview that was hosted by Jennifer Zeng, a Chinese-born human rights activist and author. Zeng said that the interview was conducted in September 2021, but it was not released until March 2023. In the interview, Shao stated that he was given four strains of the coronavirus by his superior in Nanjing City in 2019. He said that he and his colleagues were tasked with testing the viruses to see which one was the most virulent and transmissible.
Shao also claimed that several of his colleagues went missing during the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, as he said that he believes that they were taken into custody by the Chinese government because they knew too much about the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Chao Shao described the COVID-19 virus as a “bio-weapon” and that the virus was designed to be highly contagious and deadly.
Experts weigh in on claims of bioweapon.
The claims made by Chao Shao have been met with mixed reactions from experts. Some experts have said that the claims are credible and that they warrant further investigation. Others have said that the claims are unlikely to be true as there is no evidence to support them.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released a declassified report on the origins of COVID-19 that does not provide a definitive answer. However, it does say that the most likely explanation is that the virus originated from a natural spillover event from an animal to humans. The report also says that there is no evidence to suggest that the virus was genetically engineered.
The ODNI’s report is the latest in a series of investigations into the origins of COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) also released a report in March 2021 that did not reach a definitive conclusion. However, the WHO report did say that a natural spillover event was the most likely explanation.
The true origin of the COVID-19 virus remains a subject of ongoing investigation. However, the claims made by Chao Shao have raised serious concerns about the safety of research on coronaviruses and other potential bioweapons.
References:
- Covid-19 was created as a ‘bioweapon’ by China: Wuhan researcher (The Economic Times)
- COVID-19 was engineered as a ‘bioweapon’ to purposely infect people, claims a Wuhan researcher (WION)
- China engineered Covid-19 ‘bioweapon’ to purposely infect people, Wuhan researcher claims (The Times of India)
Saisha Kamla Dudha 
Sourabh Shetty