Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Opinion
    Home / Opinion / From the Press

    Conspiracies of COVID-19 origins

    By James Rae | CGTN | Updated: 2020-04-30 15:11
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference on the novel coronavirus in Geneva, Switzerland, February 28, 2020. /Reuters

    Hopefully at some point in the future we will know more about the etiology of this novel coronavirus, how it evolved and why it is so lethal. In the absence of such credible information, fears and conspiracies fill the void. David Stanway of Reuters recently wrote on the conspiracies surrounding COVID-19, reporting that scientists agree that all seven known human coronaviruses have origins in bats, mice, or domestic animals.

    For the article, he interviewed Yuan Zhiming, professor at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and director of its National Biosafety Laboratory. Yuan explained how the Wuhan labs "have sophisticated protective facilities and strict measures to ensure the safety of laboratory staff and protect the environment from contamination," rejecting theories that "the lab had accidentally released a coronavirus it had harvested from bats for research purposes."

    Meanwhile, America's top expert on infectious diseases and key member of the White House task force Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissed conspiracies surrounding the lab, reporting that studies strongly indicate animal to human transmission rather than laboratory creation or enhancement.

    White House adviser Peter Navarro has defended his trafficking in conspiracy theories related to China's responsibility for all sorts of problems owing to his being a social scientist, even rejecting medical science data. Like Navarro, I am a social (specifically political) scientist not a medical scientist, so cannot comment on the various strains of this novel coronavirus and the suspected transmission from bats indigenous to Yunnan Province to humans. What I can observe is the growth of conspiracies in the US that find China as the source.

    These ideological campaigns really began over a century ago toward the Soviet Union and then take contemporary China as the repository for all nefarious activities. With a highly contested American election on the horizon, management of this pandemic will likely determine not only who becomes president of the US, but probably which party holds power in Congress. The stakes could not be higher.

    Alex Isenstadt for Politico recently published the Republican Party's most recent memo on how to spin the current crisis. He summarized the focus: "That China caused the virus 'by covering it up,' that Democrats are 'soft on China,' and that Republicans will 'push for sanctions on China for its role in spreading this pandemic'." Indeed, the memo identifies China as the enemy to be hit, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Democratic Party, and political correctness, i.e. avoiding labels that may exacerbate racial or ethnic antagonisms.

    Such a gambit may work, suspicion of China has only grown this year. More likely, ineffective national leadership, particularly by President Trump, will sink the Republican Party's performance in November. Already, party leaders have tried to convince the president to not appear at the daily briefings on the virus, and have long since tried and failed to persuade him to distance himself from social media.

    The Party could have effectively adopted a mission of hope, perseverance, and resilience leading to national rejuvenation, and perhaps made more headway in testing and partnering with other countries and international organizations. Instead, the president has chosen to disconnect from diplomatic initiatives with other countries, defund the WHO, and to blame everything on others, including China. Indeed, Navarro now accuses Beijing of "profiteering" from the pandemic and selling "fake tests and counterfeit tests."

    Just as touting unproven therapies or cures lead those ill-informed or desperate for answers to jeopardize their own health, as recently occurred with chloroquine and disinfectants, dealing in conspiracies can inflame passions and lead to emotional behavior and even violence. Many different conspiracies are expounded, many different players have suggested rival conspiracies, they become part of the gamesmanship of political calculations and media narratives. They attempt to fill in the blanks of the unknown, and oftentimes replace what is already known but not well understood.

    Nothing is totally certain, but some points of consensus appear clear. Over three million cases are reported worldwide, the total number of those unreported makes it even much higher. Over 200,000 deaths are attributed to COVID-19. Nearly every country on earth has been affected and is vulnerable. A scientific excavation of the origins of this novel coronavirus should come to better prepare us, the world, for a future pandemic, regardless of its origins. As Director Yuan said, "I hope everyone will put aside their prejudices and biases in order to provide a rational environment for research on tracing the origin of the virus."

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    无码精品国产VA在线观看| 国模GOGO无码人体啪啪| 2021无码最新国产在线观看| 色综合久久最新中文字幕| 激情无码人妻又粗又大中国人 | 精品久久久久久中文字幕大豆网| 国产成人无码一二三区视频| 亚洲无av在线中文字幕| 精品久久久久久久无码| 精品人妻无码区二区三区| 久久超乳爆乳中文字幕 | 精品人妻大屁股白浆无码| 免费a级毛片无码a∨免费软件| 亚洲av中文无码乱人伦在线播放 | 中文无码熟妇人妻AV在线| 无码专区永久免费AV网站| 日韩欧美成人免费中文字幕| 亚洲无av在线中文字幕| 免费无码黄十八禁网站在线观看 | 精品久久久久中文字| 久久人妻AV中文字幕| 无码人妻AⅤ一区二区三区水密桃| 日韩亚洲AV无码一区二区不卡| 寂寞少妇做spa按摩无码| 中文字幕一区二区三区5566| 亚洲精品无码av天堂| 无码国模国产在线无码精品国产自在久国产 | 最近高清中文在线字幕在线观看| 日韩精品无码一区二区中文字幕| 亚洲AV无码之日韩精品| 日韩A无码AV一区二区三区| 成人午夜福利免费无码视频| 国产亚洲精久久久久久无码| 日韩国产成人无码av毛片| 无码精品黑人一区二区三区| 亚洲av永久无码精品网站| 亚洲AV无码一区二区乱子伦| 无码午夜人妻一区二区三区不卡视频 | 亚洲综合无码精品一区二区三区| 制服在线无码专区| 国产亚洲精久久久久久无码77777 国产又爽又黄无码无遮挡在线观看 |