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The Corona Crisis gets real | 89 comments (89 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
Wuhan is the location of China's first BSL-4 laboratory - Biological safety level 4 is the highest level of safety required for deadly viruses that cause ebola etc. and which has been in operation since 2015. Fears have been expressed that such laboratories (also operating in US and EU) can be "dual use" for developing biological weapons and that there is a history of viruses escaping such contained facilities. Expect conspiracy theories to the effect that Cov-19 is a weaponised virus which escaped... I haven't seen any evidence for the popular theory that the virus originated in Bats or in the local fish market in Wuhan.

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 12:12:10 AM EST
Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
is an propaganda-fact of ebola crisis 2014, when developed nations attempted grilled (heat disinfectant unlike summer heat) bat-on-stick-eating W. African quarantine -> CDC zootonic virology specialty, possibly related to oriental tropical disease research since 19th cen. -> Wuhan livestock ("wet market") epicenter -> Fog of Trade War, rumors, and just plain bullshit

  1. 1 Feb, Sen. Cotton (R-AK) transforms Wuhan Institute of Virology into bio-weapon manufacture
  2. 23 Feb, Japanese TV report sparks speculations in China that COVID-19 may have originated in US
  3. 12 Mar, "Trump officials emphasize that coronavirus 'Made in China,'" 14 Mar US State condemns China FM tweets
  4. NY Yella Cake arbitrates.
  5. Still no tests, no masks, no antiviral therapy in USS
by Cat on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 01:42:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
Full-length genome sequences were obtained from five patients at an early stage of the outbreak. The sequences are almost identical and share 79.6% sequence identity to SARS-CoV. Furthermore, we show that 2019-nCoV is 96% identical at the whole-genome level to a bat coronavirus. Pairwise protein sequence analysis of seven conserved non-structural proteins domains show that this virus belongs to the species of SARSr-CoV. In addition, 2019-nCoV virus isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a critically ill patient could be neutralized by sera from several patients. Notably, we confirmed that 2019-nCoV uses the same cell entry receptor--angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2)--as SARS-CoV.

Zhou, Peng, et al. "A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin." Nature (2020): 1-4.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 01:56:50 AM EST
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## Misplaced precision (none / 1)
one month later
Daszak said that scientists have found about 50 SARS-related coronaviruses in bats all across China and the SARS coronavirus had been found in people in the southwestern province of Yunnan who lived near caves where the virus had been found in bats -- although they showed no symptoms of respiratory illness during sampling.
[...]
Wu at the Chinese Center for Disease Control said the data was pointing toward the virus going from bats to another, unknown wild animal, and then to humans. She said no bats were sold or found at the seafood market and the outbreak was first reported in late December when most bat species in Wuhan are hibernating.
Wei Ji, et al., "Cross‐species transmission of the newly identified coronavirus 2019‐nCoV." Journal of Medical Virology (Jan 2020)
archived Sat Jan 18th, 2020
by Cat on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 06:04:26 AM EST
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Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 0)
Thanks for this.

Notably, we confirmed that 2019-nCoV uses the same cell entry receptor--angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2)--as SARS-CoV.

Does this means that an anti-Sars vaccine might make work against covid-19?


Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 12:52:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 0)
No idea


She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 04:13:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
The "fears" are accurate.  Any lab capable of investigating viruses are capable of weaponizing viruses.  The problem with Biological Warfare is the pathogens are not controllable once released into the biosphere.  Meaning any use of the agents will result in an almost certain 'Own Goal' by the attackers.


She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 02:06:56 AM EST
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The problem with Biological Warfare (4.00 / 2)
is that any one would.
by Cat on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 06:10:14 AM EST
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Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
Don't worry: CT is now aired by no less than the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman:

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman tweets claim US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan  - SCMP

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter on Friday to double down on an unproven claim that the US military brought the new coronavirus
to the central city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

Zhao urged his more than 287,000 followers in two tweets on Friday morning to widely share an allegation from a Canada-based conspiracy website that the coronavirus - which has become a global pandemic - originated in the US rather than the Wuhan seafood market that is thought to be its source.

"This is so astonishing that it changed many things I used to believe in," he wrote on his official account.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing declined to comment on Zhao's tweets.
The allegation was apparently linked to the US Army's participation in the international Military World Games
held in Wuhan in October, which drew competitors from more than 100 countries.


by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 11:36:01 AM EST
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Re: Conspiracy theory (none / 1)
Nonsense. Clearly it was an Israeli bio attack on the Iranian leadership.
by generic on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 01:45:06 PM EST
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The Best Korea theory (none / 0)
by generic on Sun Mar 15th, 2020 at 03:29:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Corona Crisis gets real | 89 comments (89 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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