The coronavirus COVID-19 stay in human body permanent

The line between truth and lies is becoming ever murkier. It’s possible the virus sticks around in the body longer than expected, because patients still testing positive for the virus after they have recovered or even getting sick again. 

People who appear to recover and then show symptoms again may have suffered a relapse of the same infection.  Patients produced thousands to millions of viruses in their noses and throats, about 1,000 times as much virus as produced in SARS patients, that heavy load of viruses may help explain why the new coronavirus is so infectious.

These results could also reflect issues with the current diagnostic test, which isn’t sensitive enough to always pick up low levels of virus in an infected person. One has to tell the truth.

The novel coronavirus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, can remain in the body of an infected person for years and requires lifelong medication, as with the infection of hepatitis B, where a patient is a chronic carrier of the virus. For hepatitis B patients, antibodies are constantly generated to neutralize the viruses.
If antibodies cannot be detected, it is because viruses are constantly replicating and antibodies are generated to neutralize them. Otherwise, it indicates viruses have been deactivated.

For most people, medicine treatment can't cure chronic hepatitis B, only suppressing the replication of the virus. Therefore, most people who start treatment must continue it for life.

Based on experience from SARS and MERS and AIDS, virus covid- 19 stay in human body permanent. On patients after they have recovered the researchers could still detect the virus’s genetic material, RNA, in patients’ swabs or samples, but could no longer find infectious viruses.
That’s an indication that antibodies that the body’s immune system makes against SARS-CoV-2 are killing viruses that get out of cells.

Testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19)

Testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) has varied widely across countries. To reduce the risk of new outbreaks, countries will need to greatly increase their testing capacity. 


A  key  question  behind  any  strategy  to  ease confinement  restrictions  and  reopen  economic activities is how to avoid a new spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that would necessitate further lock downs.  Once the  number  of  infected  people  has  successfully  been  brought  sufficiently down, quick  suppression  of new  waves  of  viral  infections  will  be  key.  Testing  strategies  are central to achieve this.

There are two types of tests.

First, molecular diagnostic testing (RT-PCR) helps to identify those individuals who are infected at the time of the test. An effective strategy that tests, tracks people infected and traces their contacts (TTT), helps to reduce the spread of the virus and thus bring its reproduction number below one.
Given the characteristics of this coronavirus–including the large number of asymptomatic cases and high reproduction number –to be effective at suppressing the spread of the virus, the TTT strategy should be used very widely, requiring a very large proportion of all cases (between 70 and  90%) to be traced to  prevent  a new outbreak of the  virus. This  would require increasing capacity for testing enormously; putting in places trict measures to prevent people who may be infectious from breaking quarantine; as well as identifying ways to trace contacts,which may push the limits of privacy concerns, unless new approaches to digital tracing, currently under development, are put in place.
Significant logistics and capacity constraints –ranging from the availability of trained personnel to  take  accurate  specimen,  to  the  time  required  for  laboratory  analysis  and  the  availability  of reagents –have impeded more widespread diagnostic testing in many countries so far. Recent development of faster RT-PCR molecular diagnostic testing, which can be deployed at the point of care, should help scale-up capacity for  effective TTT in countries. Digital  enabled contact-tracing can  help  improve  the  speed  and  effectiveness  of  TTT  strategies,  as  seen  in  some countries.

A second type of test –so-called serologic test –detects people who have had a prior infection and  thus  developed  antibodies.  Such  tests  can  be  used  for  two  purposes,  namely  to  allow people who have acquired immunity to return to work safely, and to provide intelligence on the evolution of the epidemic across the population. Rapid serology test kits need to be developed and  their  clinical  performance  needs  to  be  demonstrated  before  deployment  at  scale  can happen.
Despite the fact that a relatively low number of people have so far been infected and thus we are still far from herd immunity, the successful implementation of serologic testing strategies at large scale can help reduce the spread of the virus and complement the TTT strategy.

This will also require major efforts, including: 

1) verifying the clinical performance of tests, particularly for rapid  serologic  tests; 

2) preparing  procurement  and  logistics  arrangements  to  scale  up production and deployment of the tests, and train and deploy human resources, particularly for diagnostic RT-PCR tests; and

3) providing adequate safeguards to protect civil right and privacy of populations while deploying or apps-enabled tracking strategies.

Since the end of last year, the world has been in the grip of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths from the respiratory disease COVID-19. To combat the pandemic, many countries have put in place strict containment and mitigation strategies to minimise the risk of transmission, decrease the spread of the virus and ‘buy time’ for health care systems to cope with the huge numbers of patients and ultimately save as many lives as possible. As part of the response to COVID-19, virtually all OECD countries affected by the virus have introduced strict restrictions to social and economic life, including social distancing and even full lock downs. The big question  is  now  how  to  manage  these  restrictions,  and  how  to  go  back  to  a new  normal of  living  with SARS-CoV-2; a social and economic life that coexist with the virus. To avoid new peaks in the number of cases, overstretching health system capacities, infection rates need to remain suppressed until a vaccine or  effective  treatment  are  found.  If  all  confinement  strategies  are  lifted,however,  the  infection  rate  is expected to rebound in a matter of weeks. A strategy is needed about when and how to relax confinement, and when and how to re-tighten some of them when necessary. This is needed to minimise the risk of further peaks of the outbreak or, at least, to win as much time as possible between the successive peaks.

A number of factors need to be in place to achieve this goal. 

First, healthcare capacity and resources need to be increased to ensure safe and effective management of future severe COVID-19 cases.

Second, we need to understand the virus better, including: the incubation period and infectiousness of the disease  at  different  stages;  the  extent  of  asymptomatic  spread;  immunity  and  its  duration  in  those  who contracted the virus; and the impact of changes in temperature on the disease spread.

Third –and the topic of this brief –information about the presence and propagation of SARS-CoV-2 in the population  needs  to  improve  significantly. For  this,  widespread  testing  and  effective  contact  tracing, including cases with no or only mild symptoms, are key components of the post-lock down strategy. Better information will help achieve three goals:

Tracking of new cases to suppress the resurgence of local outbreaks as early as possible, aiming to avoid new peaks;

Identifying previously infected people who can safely return to work, to revitalise the economy and to strengthen the health workforce;

Gaining  intelligence  on  the  evolution  of  the  epidemic,  including  on  when a  threshold  for herd immunity has been reached.In the case of COVID-19, it has been estimated that 50% to 60% of the population needs to be immune to the virus to halt its spread.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, work on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.


More info at: Tackling coronavirus (COVID‑19)
Contributing to a global effort


Zeljko Serdar, CCRES

PS.
The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is an international, large-scale survey of teachers, school leaders and the learning environment in schools. This note presents findings based on the reports of lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in mainstream public and private schools. CROATIA

2019-nCoV warnings days before officials

First warnings of the deadly coronavirus didn’t come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. They came from a robot in Canada.  

Da se radi o epidemiji coronavirusa, umjetna inteligencija kanadskog startupa BlueDot je ustanovila još krajem prosinca prošle godine i poslala "alert" svojim klijentima - uglavnom poslovnim ljudima koji putuju u Kinu, koji su odmah počeli poduzimati mjere zaštite i tako pomogli smanjiti razmjere i brzinu širenja virusa na Zapad.

Tada su bila registrirana samo četiri oboljela od "neobične upale pluća", sva četiri radnika tržnice živim životnjama u Wuhanu. Ipak, tim liječnika, veterinara, epidemiologa, statističara i software developera je napravio takav AI kojem je to bilo dovoljno da prepozna kako se radi o pojavi koja ima potencijal da "eksplodira". Naime, uz službene medicinske podatke, AI Blue Dota je analizirao i profesionalne forume, i vijesti iz medija - o tome da li se netko negdje onesvijestio i slično.

BlueDot Insights sends near real-time infectious disease alerts based on what’s relevant to you.

Protect staff and populations from infectious diseases.

Reduce your risk of exposure to infectious diseases. Elevate the diagnostic acumen of frontline healthcare workers.

Prevent operational disruption.

Save time on infectious disease surveillance while gaining global visibility.

Stop an outbreak from spreading to the community.

Communicate crucial information more effectively during an outbreak. Reduce reputational risk and legal liability.

Da je svijet tada alarmiran - ta četiri oboljela bi bilo lako staviti u karantenu, kao i kupce njihovih proizvoda i ostale koji su s njima bili u dodiru, i virus bi danas vjerojatno bio potpuno pod kontrolom.

Na žalost, vlasti država se uglavnom ne pouzdaju u "neprovjerene" usluge malih, inovativnih kompanija, vec čekaju obavijest Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije (WHO) - koja je pomoću klasičnih birokratiziranih procedura, tek tri tjedna kasnije ustanovila da se radi o epidemiji.

First warnings of the deadly coronavirus didn’t come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. They came from a robot in Canada.

BlueDot, an AI-powered health monitoring platform, sent users an alert about the outbreak on Dec. 31. The CDC and WHO reported the news on Jan. 6 and Jan. 9, respectively.

The platform, run by a team of physicians and programmers, uses a sophisticated disease surveillance program to scour news in 65 languages, as well as airline data, to pinpoint issues and alert users to avoid certain areas, like Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus outbreak began.

“We help governments protect their citizens, hospitals protect their staff and patients and businesses protect their employees and customers,” BlueDot’s website reads.

The platform was created by Kamran Khan, the brand’s founder and chief executive officer. In a Wired report, he said after the AI sifts through data, using machine learning to sort out trends and other parallels, epidemiologists ensure that the conclusions and predictions are accurate before alerts are sent to users, government officials and other businesses.

It uses “language processing to train this engine to recognize whether this is an outbreak of anthrax in Mongolia or a reunion of the heavy metal band Anthrax,” he said. “We know that governments may not be relied upon to provide information in a timely fashion,” and “can pick up news, little murmurs or forums or blogs of indications of unusual events.”

To znači da je svijet alarmiran kad je oboljelih bilo već osamdeset puta više nego na dan kad je mali startup odaslao upozorenje svojim korisnicima. Usto, svaki od 312 oboljelih je imao kontakte s ljudima iz obiteljskog kruga, na poslu, u javnom prijevozu i na ulici - pa i sa strancima iz drugih zemalja.

Naime, broj oboljelih nije rastao linearno nego eksponencijalno - dakle dvostruko dulji period da se ustanovi epidemija - tri tjedna potrebna Blu Dotu naspram šest tjedana koliko je trebalo WHO-u -  značio je porast broja oboljelih za čak osamsto posto.

Kao i u slučaju katastrofe u Černobilu, o kojoj su komunističke vlasti šutjele a problem registrirao laboratorij s "demokratskog Zapada" u Švedskoj - i kinesko ministarstvo zdravstva je liječnicima naredilo da slučajeve oboljelih prijavljuju samo interno, sistemu.

Zapad je ovoga puta bio brži, pa je kanadski startup svoje klijente o epidemiji obavijestio dan prije nego su kineske vlasti zabranile informiranje javnosti i uhitile osam liječnika "jer su širili protuzakonite radnje izmišljanja i širenja glasina te uzurpiranja društvenog reda", o čemu je izvijestio Washington Post.

Jasno, širenje panike nije konstruktivno, ali kod brzoširećeg coronavirusa ipak je bilo krucijalno da se javnost informira što prije.

BlueDot je startup čiji tim od četrdeset ljudi ne izgleda impresivno u odnosu na golemu i skupu birokraciju ministarstava država i Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije, i iako nije imao puno klijenata, ali  ako su u početnoj fazi epidemije samo jednog korisnika svoje usluge potaknuli da promijeni ponašanje i tako se sačuva od zaraze, taj mali, jeftini startup je spasio velik broj ljudi. Da su ga vlasti poslušale odmah - danas epidemije možda ne bi niti bilo.

BlueDot Explorer is a cloud-based GIS platform integrating more than 100 diverse datasets, including global air travel and near real-time disease surveillance.

Perform higher quality risk assessments in less time.

Wield more than 100 datasets, including global surveillance and drivers of disease that have been curated, cleaned, and combined for you.

Communicate crucial information more effectively.

Share complex information through superior data visualization, to build a collective understanding of risk across geographies and sectors.

Respond with precision in an emergency.

When time is critical, know you're using the best evidence to make the best decisions.

Naravno, svjetski su se mediji raspisali o startup kanadskog Indijca dr Kamrana Khana, zainteresirani za puno jeftiniju i efikasniju uslugu detektiranja epidemija od onoga što nude birokracija i procedure Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije, pa je očekivano porastao interes i za druga rješenja globalne zdravstvene krize koja dolaze iz svijeta inovativnih startupa.

No, zbog nepredvidivog načina i velike brzine širenja coronavirusa - svijet se "zatvara", pa se tako otkazuju i  konferencije u raznim područjima, pa i na temu biotehnologije - dok istovremeno potreba za razmjenom znanja i iskustava i inovativnih pristupa problemu nikad nije bila veća.

Tako je naprimjer otkazana najveća azijska konferencija o zaraznim bolestima u Kuala Lumpuru u Maleziji te je prebačena za jesen, a sudeći prema raspoloženju ljudi koje pomalo zahvaća panika - mogle bi biti otkazane i druge najavljene medicinske i konferencije o biotehnologiji .

Ipak, početkom ovog tjedna je održana koferencija o zaraznim bolestima, farmaceutskoj mikrobiologiji i biotehnologiji u Berlinu, kao i konferencija za investitore Red Herring, i to upravo na temu coronavirusa - koja je u Jeruzalemu prošloga tjedna okupila 23 tisuće gostiju iz 183 zemlje. 

U ožujku je zakazana konferencija o europskom biotechu u Parizu, a početkom travnja farmaceustka konferencija Eye for Pharma u Barceloni. Tu su i konferencije o biotechu u Jeruzalemu u ožujku i Tel Avivu u travnju.

Nadajmo se da će se sva okupljanja održati, dapače da će se hitno organizirati i dodatna, jer unatoč strahu od zaraze i širenja virusa - stručnjaci iz državnih struktura i investitori bi upravo sada trebali intenzivno razmjenjivati iskustva i povezivati se s malim znanstvenim timovima koji su dovoljno fleksibilni da promptno odreagiraju na potrebe tržista vezano uz epidemiju coronavirusa, za razliku od velikih farmaceutskih i biotehnoloških kompanija - koje su zbog inercije velikih sistema spore i "otporne na inovaciju".

Bilo bi poželjno i da birokratizirane organizacije poput WHO-a i ministarstava zdravstva promijene stav prema malim startupima s kojima ne vole poslovati jer su nestabilni i "tko zna da li će postojati za godinu dana" - jer rješenje za obuzdavanje epidemije neće doci iz velikih kompanija, zbog već spomenute "otpornosti na inovaciju".

Kako su za regulaciju i izdavanje dozvola za lijekove i medicinske aparate nužne duge procedure registracije, koje znaju trajati godinama jer uključuju i kliničke studije, u situaciji epidemije virusa koji se ponaša nepredvidivo a brzo se širi najbolje je rješenje potražiti u području koje nije toliko regulirano, jer proizvodi ne predstavljaju rizik za živote ljudi i nemaju nuspojave, poput algoritama za detekciju i dijagnozu, ili  zaštitne odjeće za medicinsko osoblje i građane.

Osim investitora, poticaj za rad malih timova svakako bi bila veća spremnost političkih vlasti da surađuju s "malima", čija je financijska konstrukcija često jedva dovoljna da osigura rad za narednih par mjeseci. Sklapajući ugovore s njima pomogli bi znanstvenim timovima da budu opušteniji i bolje se posvete radu kad znaju da su ekonomski osigurani za naredno razdoblje.

Naprimjer, i europske bi zemlje mogle zatražiti uzorke zaštitnih maski od nano-vlakana, kakve je izraelski startup Sonovia poslao kineskim vlastima koje su odmah počele s testiranjima.

Naime, ako se pokaže da Sonovijina nano-vlakna, koja dokazano sprečavaju prodor bakterija, mogu spriječiti i prodor virusa, pa i corone do tijela osobe koju pokrivaju - ne bi bilo loše da su nadležni već povezani s tom kompanijom, jer će tada nastati neviđena potraznja za njihovim tekstilom i zaštitnim maskama.

Obećavajucim se čini i pamuk obogaćen bakrom s antibakterijskim i antiviralnim svojstvima jeruzalemskog Argaman technologies, originalno razvijen za zaštitu oboljelih od raka, a velika pošiljka njihovog tekstila je poslana u Hong Kong.

SONOVIA’S TEXTILE PROPERTIES

Our sonocavitation technology gives fabrics a highly durable layer of antimicrobial protection, which has been tested extensively against bacteria and fungi in laboratory and hospital settings. A large amount of academic evidence suggests that the metallic nanoparticles at the core of our technology could be an effective shield against the growing epidemic. Currently, we are working towards creating protective equipment by partnering with manufacturers across the globe, in hopes that we will be able to design effective, reusable, anti-viral gear.

Uz rizik izlaganja medicinskog osoblja mikrobima, u jeku velikih epidemija s velikih brojem oboljelih problem predstavlja i nedostatak medicinskog osoblja. U tom smislu obećava projekt umjetne inteligencije - "medicinske sestre superheroja" koji u telavivskoj bolnici Ichilov vodi Ahava Weiss-Meilik.

AI-supersestra moze predvidjeti da će se nekom pacijentu stanje pogoršati satima prije nego sto su to u stanju prepoznati liječnici i medicinske sestre, te predvidjeti da li će se pacijent vratiti u bolnicu nakon što je otpušten.

Pacijentima se na prsa pričvrsti mali senzor poput onoga za EEG, koji je bežičnom vezom povezan s centralnim sistemom. Istovremeno, kamere u bolničkim sobama prate ponašanje pacijenata. Sve te podatke procesuira AI u centralnom sistemu.

- Nema tog doktora, ma koliko god dobar on bio, koji bi tako brzo mogao pregledati sve te podatke i odmah uspostaviti dijagnozu, kaze Weiss-Meilik.

Direktor bolnice Ichilov Roni Gamzu kaze da je AI-supersestra budućnost medicine, a tim u bolničkom I-Medata Centeru  zapravo čini više manjih timova:  AnyVision specijalizira software za prepoznavanje lica, tijela i objekata sa slika te projekt snabdijeva kamerama, BioBeat je razvio maleni bežcni senzor za praćenje vitalnih znakova poput tlaka, pulsa, zasićenosti krvi kisikom, temperature i znojenja, Zebra Medical i Aidoc pomažu radiolozima da na rentgenima i CT-jevima brzo uoče problematična mjesta na pacijentu, dok je startap Agamon specijalizirao procesiranje govornog jezika kako bi iz povijesti bolesti koje su napisali liječnici i medicinske sestre mogli izvući relevantni podaci.

Razvoj umjetne inteligencije tzv. AI-supernurse je omogućilo i to što je zadnjih deset godina povijesti bolesti digitalizirano, a bolnica godišnje ima 400 tisuca hospitalizacija, 1,8 milijuna vanjskih pacijenata, 36 tisuća operacija i 220 tisuća posjeta hitnoj pomoći. Bez te količine podataka projekt ne bio bilo moguće razviti.

Zatim, startup Insilico Medical razvija AI koji bi istraživanje lijekova za pojedinu bolest s nekoliko godina trebao skratiti na nekoliko dana.

U nedjelju je sveučiliste Bar Ilan objavilo da bi tehnologija koju je razvio jedan njihov profesor mogla vrijeme dijagnoze s dva dana skratiti na 15 minuta, a iz kompanije Memed ciji ImmunoXpert - tehnologiju za ustanovljavanje radi li se o bakterijskoj ili virusnoj inflekciji već koriste Švicarska, Europska unija i Izrael - kažu da s kolegama iz cijelog svijeta surađuju na tome da razviju dijagnostiku koja bi bolest otkrila i prije nego se zaraženi osjeti bolesnim.

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32891948

2019-nCoV

2019 Novel Coronavirus


The Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES) is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City. Additional cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including the United States. There are ongoing investigations to learn more.

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.

Much is unknown about how 2019-nCoV, a new coronavirus, spreads. Current knowledge is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS, SARS, and now with 2019-nCoV.

Most often, spread from person-to-person happens among close contacts (about 6 feet). Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. It’s currently unclear if a person can get 2019-nCoV by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you were in China in the last 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should:

Seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
Avoid contact with others.
Not travel while sick.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to avoid spreading the virus to others. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Zeljko Serdar, CCRES


U siječnju 2020. godine,  točno dvije godine prije nego što je virus SARS-Cov-2 cijeli svijet bacio na koljena, američki diplomatski dužnosnici Washingtonu su poslali dva izvješća čiji je sadržaj bio klasificiran kao 'osjetljivo, ali ne i povjerljivo'.

Na početku je cijela priča izgledala kao teorija zavjere, ali sada je stvar puno ozbiljnija
Znanstvenici iz SAD-a krajem 2017. godine posjetili su Wuhanski institut za virologiju (WIV) u sklopu šireg istraživanja te su ostali zatečeni slabom razinom biosigurnosti koja ne priliči laboratoriju u kojem se ispituju potencijalno smrtonosni virusi.

Prvo izvješće, u koje je imao uvid novinar Washington Posta, upozorava na činjenicu da laboratorij u Wuhanu ispituje tipove koronavirusa analizirajući potencijal njihove transmisije sa šišmiša na čovjeka, a da zbog izuzetno loših sigurnosnih standarda u laboratoriju postoji opravdana zabrinutost oko nove pandemije virusa tipa SARS.

Američki su znanstvenici, piše, tijekom posjeta wuhanskom laboratoriju upozorili svoje kineske kolege da im nedostaje stručnog osoblja i opreme koja poštuje sigurnosne zahtjeve laboratorija visoke razine kontaminacije. Wuhanski centar za kontrolu bolesti, koji se također spominje u izvješćima kao moguće rodno mjesto zaraze, posluje na biosigurnosnoj razini 2, što je osjetno niže od razine 4 koju koriste ostali centri takve vrste.

Amerikanci su se tijekom tog službenog posjeta susreli i sa Shi Zhenglijom, voditeljicom istraživačkog projekta koji se bavio analizom koronavirusa. Njezin je tim u studenom 2017. godine objavio istraživanje u kojem je dokazano kako su šišmiši iz pećine u provinciji Yunnan najizgledniji nosioci virusa SARS koji je eskalirao 2003. godine.

„Najbitnija informacija u njezinom istraživanju bila je da koronavirusi tipa SARS mogu doći u kontakt s ljudskim receptorom ACE2, što govori u prilog zaključku da se koronavirusi mogu prenijeti sa šišmiša na čovjeka. Iz perspektive javnoga zdravstva, smatramo da je od ključne važnosti s velikom dozom pažnje nadzirati buduća istraživanja toga tipa virusa, zato što zbog slabe sigurnosti u laboratoriju postoji velika opasnost od eskalacije“ stoji u izvješću poslanom 19. siječnja 2020. godine Washingtonu, uz naputak kako postoji bojazan da se kineski znanstvenici nepotrebno izlažu riziku zaraze.

„Izvješće je bilo upozorenje kojim se Washington pokušalo alarmirati na pripravnost“ izjavio je jedan američki dužnosnik za Washington post, ali je zbog prirode svog posla želio ostati anoniman.

To se sporno obavještajno izvješće pojačano spominje na vašingtonskim hodnicima posljednjih tjedana, a Trumpova administracija navodno već danima sumnja da je izvor virusa upravo Wuhanski institut za virologiju.

Prema informacijama New York Timesa, američka obavještajna služba nije željela javno iznijeti dodatne kompromitirajuće informacije, ali je jedan dužnosnik CIA-e istaknuo da posjeduju još nekoliko ključnih podataka koji govore u prilog tezi da je 'rodno mjesto' virusa SARS-Cov-2 WIV.

S tim se slažu i vodeći američki stručnjaci, koji su od početka tvrdili da tvrdnja o nastanku virusa na wuhanskoj tržnici 'ne drži vodu'.

Izvješće kineskih službenika objavljeno u siječnju 2020. godine za prvog pacijenta navodi osobu koja nije imala nikakvu povezanost sa spornom tržnicom; baš kao ni više od jedne trećine prvozaraženih pacijenata. Također, navode, tržnica je prodavala morske plodove, a ne šišmiše koji su se dokazali kao uzročnici ovoga virusa.

Dok je kineska vlada u potpunosti onemogućila dolazak do informacija koje se odnose na porijeklo virusa, WIV kategorički odbija optužbe za vlastitu ulogu u svjetskoj pandemiji.

Američki znanstvenici upozoravaju; „Ovo nije pitanje za teoretičare zavjere, a ne treba se niti prstom tražiti krivac. No, važno je saznati kako je došlo do njegove nekontrolirane eskalacije zato što se jedino tako može spriječiti buduća katastrofa.“

Isto je u sinoćnjem intervjuu na Fox Newsu kazao i američki državni tajnik Mike Pompeo.

"Wuhanski institut za virologiju nalazi se samo nekoliko kilometara od tržnice koju je Peking naveo kao epicentar zaraze. Kina mora transparentno surađivati u ovoj istragi" naglasio je Pompeo, dodavši da će Washington poduzeti sve raspoložive mjere da što prije dođe do relevantnih informacija o porijeklu virusa.

Treba još jednom naglasiti kako ovo nije poticanje još jedne u nizu teorija zavjere oko porijekla virusa. Kao što je već cijeli niz stručnjaka istaknuo, trenutno ne postoje nikakva kredibilna istraživanja koja govore u prilog tome da je virus SARS-Cov-2 nastao u laboratoriju, već su složni u tome da se na čovjeka prešao sa životinje.

Međutim, postoji razlika između toga je li se transmisija dogodila da wuhanskoj tržnici ili je došlo do velikog sigurnosnog propusta u laboratoriju koji se bavi istraživanjem i drugih tipova potencijalno smrtonosnih virusa.

Zeljko Serdar, HCOIE