Int'l Group Of Scientists Condemns Conspiracy Theories About Artificial Origin Of COVID-19

A group of 27 scientists from nine countries, including the US, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands has strongly condemned rumors and conspiracy theories stipulating that the novel coronavirus outbreak was triggered artificially in a joint statement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) A group of 27 scientists from nine countries, including the US, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands has strongly condemned rumors and conspiracy theories stipulating that the novel coronavirus outbreak was triggered artificially in a joint statement.

"We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin. Scientists from multiple countries have published and analysed genomes of the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and they overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated in wildlife, as have so many other emerging pathogens," the statement read, as quoted by The Lancet medical journal.

The scientists added that the US National academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine also agreed with the conclusion that this coronavirus is of natural origin, and that these conspiracy theories only undermined global efforts to fight the epidemic.

To date, COVID-19, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, has killed over 2,100 people, while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has crossed 75,000 worldwide.