Your current location:HOME >entertainment >Novel coronavirus has existed worldwide before emerging in China: Oxford University expert 正文
TIME:2024-05-21 18:31:56 Source: Internet compilationEdit:entertainment
LONDON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The novel coronavirus has existed worldwide and broke out whenever and wh
LONDON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The novel coronavirus has existed worldwide and broke out whenever and wherever favorable conditions occurred rather than starting in China, an Oxford University expert has told The Telegraph.
"I think the virus was already here -- here meaning everywhere. We may be seeing a dormant virus that has been activated by environmental conditions," Dr Tom Jefferson, senior associate tutor at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) at Oxford and a visiting professor at Newcastle University, said on Sunday.
"There was a case in the Falkland Islands in early February. Now where did that come from? There was a cruise ship that went from South Georgia to Buenos Aires, and the passengers were screened and then on day eight, when they started sailing towards the Weddell Sea, they got the first case. Was it in prepared food that was defrosted and activated?" he said.
"Strange things like this happened with Spanish Flu. In 1918, around 30 percent of the population of Western Samoa died of Spanish Flu, and they hadn't had any communication with the outside world," Jefferson added.
"The explanation for this could only be that these agents don't come or go anywhere. They are always here and something ignites them, maybe human density or environmental conditions, and this is what we should be looking for," he stressed, arguing there is growing evidence that the virus was elsewhere before it emerged in Asia.
Last week, Spanish virologists announced the discovery of traces of the novel coronavirus in a sample of Barcelona waste water collected in March 2019, nine months before COVID-19 was identified in China.
The Italian National Institute of Health said last month that sewage water from Milan and Turin showed coronavirus traces on Dec. 18, long before the country's first confirmed cases. Enditem
Messi in and Dybala out in Argentina squad for pre2024-05-21 18:30
Biden touts progress on economy, immigration despite wide disapproval2024-05-21 17:57
I went on a date and he paid for the meal but asked me to transfer him my half the next day2024-05-21 17:36
Vietnam’s ‘Provisional National Government’ offers empty promises, lawyers say — Radio Free Asia2024-05-21 17:32
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 20182024-05-21 17:28
Alabama Barker, 18, shares racy bikini2024-05-21 17:19
Jury selection in Trump hush money trial faces pivotal stretch as former president returns to court2024-05-21 16:45
John Mellencamp hits BACK after shock viral video showed him launch expletive2024-05-21 16:38
What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?2024-05-21 16:10
Panama's presidential frontrunner skips third and final debate ahead of May 5 election2024-05-21 15:52
Elon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patient2024-05-21 18:04
How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 4/17/20242024-05-21 17:32
Russian air defense forces neutralize over 30,000 Ukrainian aerial weapons2024-05-21 17:32
Influencer, 22, left with second2024-05-21 17:27
Justin Timberlake set to bring his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour to Australia in 20252024-05-21 17:10
Holmstrom scores go2024-05-21 16:37
North Carolina sees slight surplus this year, $1B more next year2024-05-21 16:36
Tori Spelling, 50, brags she has the 'lady parts of a 142024-05-21 16:13
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership2024-05-21 15:53
Spain's love swap! Former Man City star Ferran Torres' ex2024-05-21 15:47