China Denies the Coronavirus Came from One of Its Labs

Authorities at a maximum-security laboratory in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak emerged last December, rejected claims that they could be the source of the COVID-19 surge, following recent accusations by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

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"In no way has this virus left us," said researcher Yuan Zhiming, director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, capital of central China's Hubei province.

"We know perfectly well the kind of research we do and how we manage both our viruses and our samples," said the specialist in an interview with the CGTN network.

"As people doing viral studies, we clearly know what type of research is being carried out at the institute and how viruses and samples are handled. As we said at the beginning, there is no way that this virus comes from us," he said. director.

The laboratory has "a strict regulatory regime and investigative code of conduct, so we are confident" that the new coronavirus did not originate from its facilities, Yuan added.

President Trump resumed his attacks on China over his responsibility for the new coronavirus pandemic and threatened the Asian country that will pay the consequences.

"If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake; but if they were consciously responsible, yes, then there should be consequences," Trump said, referring to versions that the Covid-19 was created in a Chinese laboratory.

The United States is investigating whether the virus actually originated from a virology institute with a highly secure biosecurity laboratory.