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Hatred Zenenga-Editor
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has ravaged virtually every part of the world for more than 12 months, is still very much with us despite all the resolute efforts in containing it.
There is however, growing hope that the virus can be defeated as several vaccines have been developed and are now available, although currently unevenly distributed, with Africa still lagging behind on the vaccine distribution global map.
But a disturbing development is that, even before the virus is contained, the sinister politics of finger-pointing in tracing its origins has been activated by the United States, which for some time has been unjustifiably clamouring for intelligence investigations accusing, China of not being open and cooperative.
President Biden’s administration has quickly switched origin tracing from the internationally accepted scientific inquiry, where in normal circumstances it belongs, to what has clearly become an ideological warfare with China.
And on August 27, the US’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence released what it called a summary of the intelligence community assessment report on Covid-19 origins, which as expected, does not rule out either laboratory accident or natural exposure as the origin of the virus.
Shockingly, the report incorrectly claims that China “continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries”.
Furthermore, the statement by the White House issued on the same day also accused China of trying to hold back international investigation and rejects calls for transparency. It urges its allies to put pressure on China. Such unfounded claims should be dismissed with strongest condemnation.
First, since the emergence of the virus, China has taken a transparent, professional, scientific and serious approach in tracing the origins of the deadly virus. Indeed, China has taken the lead in working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in global origins tracing of the pandemic by inviting WHO experts to China not once, but twice to carry out investigations on the origins of the virus.
It is on record that in early 2020, respected international experts from a group of countries that included the US, Japan, UK and Australia came together with their Chinese counterparts and conducted an almost month long joint study in China.
During this period, this group of experts, we are told, conducted field trips, analysed data and exchanged notes as a way of building “science-based consensus”.
As emphasised by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: “The experts went to all the places they wanted to go, met all the people they wanted to meet, made a scientific conclusion that “a laboratory leak is extremely unlikely”, and made important recommendations such as “searching for possible early cases on a global scale” and “studying the possibility of cold-chain transmission of virus”. The next phase of tracing should build on this and study early cases in many countries around the world.”
From the conclusions of this study, one can deduct that China’s transparent and open approach on tracing the origins of Covid-19 has been fully appreciated and recognised by global experts.
Political analyst Collen Mharadzano observes that while speculative theories are abound, political posturing on matters scientific poses a great risk to the populace.
“It is worth noting that America’s impulsive targeting of China as it tries to besmirch the now economically superpower is just but signs of nostalgic sole dominance of the world order. Just but pure misplaced fantasy on the part of the Americans,” he says.
Mharadzano further states that fundamentally, the message should be on remedies to militate the disaster which this disease has caused. People should therefore sanitize, mask up and frequently wash their hands.
He adds: “The fact of the matter is we are now in the midst a global pandemic, which has not only decimated the populace but has claimed emotional carnage on people.”
It is also clear that the August 27 report contrived by the American intelligence community is not scientifically reliable and it should continue to be emphasised that matters of origin-tracing are of science and therefore should be left to scientists and not intelligence community. We concur with the statement by the Chinese Embassy in the US which notes that, “there has been no lack of “masterpieces” by the US intelligence community, such as using a tube of laundry powder to convict Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction, or staging the “white helmets” video as evidence for chemical weapon attack in Syria.
“Now, the US side is using its old trick again. Ignoring the report by the WHO-China joint mission, it chooses to have its intelligence community put together a report instead. How can this possibly be science-based and reliable origin-tracing?”.
Secondly, we have observed from the very beginning that the US have been making vain efforts to politicise the pandemic and use origin tracing as a weapon targeted at none, but China. The so called “Lab Leak Theory”, being hyped by the US presumes that China is the guilt part. The Biden administration has been branding the epidemic and putting a geographical label on the virus, politicising the origins study. What is now clear is they have turned a blind eye to the truth and findings by scientists to advance selfish and political agendas.
Health experts and scientists writing in the British scientific journal, The Lancet, which is highly respected, noted that, “it is time to turn down the heat of the rhetoric and turn up the light of scientific inquiry, if we are to be better prepared to stem the next pandemic, whenever it comes and where it begins”.
Such action does not only seriously disrupt global cooperation but also undermines international origins study, create immense difficulties and obstacles for countries to fight the pandemic and save lives.
This is not surprising though as Washington has been stigmatising China since the Trump administration started calling Covid-19 the “China virus”.
Why ignore scientists who in their working view have said: “SARS-COV-2(Covid-19) most likely originated from nature and not in laboratory on the basis of early genetic analysis of the new virus and well-established evidence from previous emerging infectious diseases, including the coronavirus that cause the common cold as well as the original Sars-Cov and Mers-Cov.”
The scientists further stated that “the most critical question to address now is how did the SARS-COV-2 reach the human population. Such insights will drive what the world must urgently do to prevent another tragedy like Covid-19”. And they added: “the strongest clue from new, credible and peer-reviewed evidence in scientific literature is that the virus evolved in nature, while suggestions of a laboratory leak source of the pandemic remains without scientifically validated evidence that directly supports it in peer-reviewed scientific journals.”
Over 300 political parties, social organisations and think tanks from more than 100 countries and regions have submitted a joint statement to the WHO Secretariat, firmly opposing politicisation of origin-tracing. Doesn’t the US side feel it necessary to listen to what they have to say?
Lastly, one of the biggest questions is why is America running away from tracing the origins of the virus in its own backyard and remove any notion of that prospect. Responsibility and transparency should be standards followed by all. Another question is, why is it that the time-line of the outbreak of the virus in the US has been revised to earlier dates several times?
There have been infections in at least five American states, before the first confirmed case in that country was announced. American media coverage confirm that the first Covid-19 death in that was in early January 2020, several weeks earlier than previously announced by the authorities, which was early February. Obviously something is not adding up.
For countries like Zimbabwe, while origin tracing of the virus is critical, the control and most importantly containment of the pandemic is of extreme concern. China’s support with vaccinations, PPEs and practical experience-sharing in containing the pandemic has been of tremendous value.
We therefore urge the US to adopt an open and scientific attitude by working with the international community to make contributions to defeating the virus and protecting people’s health and lives. Political manipulation should consequently never be supported as it goes against science and justice.
China’s stance on Covid-19 is transparent and consistent – It is an issue of science. Side shows such as the US intelligence community report are not helpful and should therefore be dismissed as inconsequential.
Online Reporter