Virologist Shi Zhengli has identified and manipulated dozens of strains of coronavirus over the past few years in her lab in Wuhan. According to her, speculation that the virus responsible for Covid-19 may have "escaped" from its structure is baseless.
On December 30, 2019, while attending a conference in Shanghai, Shi Zhengli received a call from her boss. Mysterious samples have just arrived at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and according to initial analyses, a new coronavirus is beginning to rage in the region. She remembers thinking, "Could it be from our lab?" »
Once there, Dr. Zhengli instructs his group to sequence the complete viral genomes and repeat the tests over and over again. At the same time, she sends the samples off to another facility for comparison and frantically goes through her lab's records to check for any possible mishandling of experimental viruses.
The virologist finally breathes a sigh of relief when the results come back:none of the sequences match those of the viruses her team sampled. The closest matches only 96%. The difference is too great by virological standards. She hadn't slept a wink in days, she told Scientific American a few months ago.
Yet, more than a year and a half later, his laboratory is still at the center of questions.
Long dismissed and considered conspiratorial, the theory of a pathogen accidentally leaking from a laboratory has recently regained credibility following the publication of a letter, signed by twenty researchers and published in the journal Science , calling for serious consideration of this hypothesis.
A little later, an article from the Wall Street Journal , based on intelligence documents prepared at the end of the mandate by the Trump administration, pointed out that three laboratory workers from Wuhan (not named) were reportedly hospitalized in November 2019, shortly before the outbreak of the epidemic in China, for symptoms “ compatible with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illnesses ” .
A few days ago, Joe Biden also asked his intelligence agencies to further investigate the origins of Covid-19, indicating that his administration was taking seriously the possibility that the virus accidentally "escaped" from a lab.
Let it be said, the vast majority of researchers agree that there is still no direct evidence to support this hypothesis. On the other hand, without a thorough investigation, it cannot be completely ruled out. In general, the scientific community calls for full transparency from China on the subject.
Chinese officials meanwhile continue to take a defensive stance. "China takes origin research work seriously with a responsible attitude and has made positive contributions that are widely recognized" , said Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently. " If the US side really demands a fully transparent investigation, it should follow China's lead in inviting WHO experts to the United States ", he added.
For his part, Dr. Shi Zhengli continues to deny any involvement in the origin of Covid-19. Did his laboratory have a source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic broke out? Reached on her mobile last week by the New York Times , his answer is a resounding no.
The virologist also took the opportunity to dismiss recent reports that three researchers at her institute suffered from flu-like symptoms in November 2019, before the first cases of Covid- 19 are officially reported. “ The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not recorded such cases ” , she confirmed to Times . “ If possible, could you provide us with the names of these three people to help us verify ?” .
Dr. Shi, described by Dr. Robert C. Gallo of the University of Maryland as a " stellar, extremely careful scientist with a rigorous work ethic » , had warned of the risks of a coronavirus epidemic, constituting a stock of knowledge on these pathogens in recent years. The virologist also published some of the most important early papers on SARS-CoV-2, which researchers around the world have relied on.
So naturally, today she is a bit confused and angry. But she assures him:“I I didn't do anything wrong. Then I have nothing to fear ” .
