The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world as we know it. Following almost a year and a half grappling through the repercussions caused by this virus, a lot of theories have been established to identify what brought about this disease. Although investigations are still taking place, till today we are not really sure about what brought the pandemic. Having the information at hand would be beneficial as it may be used to help prevent future pandemics. In this article, we shall be discussing some of the popular theories surrounding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bats
These animals never enjoyed a great reputation. Following the onslaught of this pandemic, it took a turn for the worse. One of the theories surrounding the origins of COVID-19 is that this virus was brought about by bats and transferred itself to humans through an intermediate animal.
Laboratory experiments
Another popular theory is that the pandemic kick-started through experiments that went wrong within a lab in Wuhan. A particular lab renowned for research on bats, located not far away from the Wuhan market is dubbed to be potentially responsible for the accidental release of this virus. This theory gained further speed as reports of low lab standards were released to the media.
Bio-terrorism
Another theory which has been mentioned is that the COVID-19 pandemic was created as a bio-terrorism attempt, to bring about disruption and chaos. Considering the fast spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the panic caused, this has all the makings to strike terror and fear in many.
To get to the bottom of what may have caused the pandemic, there is a number of questions which are yet to be answered. One of these is whether the virus was circulating before the first recorded cases and if so, for how long. The first recorded case of COVID-19 was an office worker in Wuhan, who had no recent travel history. It is believed that the virus was spreading in the city before that however. Research performed in China, to identify antibodies brought about by COVID-19 determined that a cluster of infections before December was unlikely.
Another question which is also being investigated is whether the virus was spreading in other countries. It was noted that in European countries, antibodies against COVID-19 were identified in blood samples taken towards the end of 2019. One theory is that considering Wuhan was a connected international city, the virus may have been brought from abroad.
What are your views in relation to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic? Where do you think this disease which claimed over three million lives originated from? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
