China-Coronavirus/Wuhan Virology Institute 2

Wuhan Institute of Virology research focusing on source tracing of SARS: lab director

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FILE: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of nameplates of Wuhan Institute of Virology of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Yanyi, director, Wuhan Institute of Virology (with reporter asking questions):
(Reporter:"You said the institute didn't have the SARS-CoV-2 nor the live virus of RaTG-13. Since Wuhan Institute of Virology has been researching coronaviruses, don't you have any live viruses? What does your virus collection center have?)
"You have mentioned some research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One of the teams led by Professor Shi Zhengli started to study bat coronaviruses early since 2004. But their research has been focusing on source tracing of SARS. In their research what they pay more attention to, do more research on and try to isolate and obtain are bat coronaviruses similar to SARS. We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference. So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus. This is why they didn't try to isolate and obtain RaTG-13, since its genome is only over 79 percent similar to SARS. After many years of research, Professor Shi and her team do have isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats. Now we have three strains of live viruses. One of them has the highest similarity of 96 percent to SARS. But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent."

3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Yanyi, director, Wuhan Institute of Virology (with reporter asking questions):
(Reporter:"Wuhan Institute of Virology has been devoted to studying coronaviruses since the SARS outbreak. You've made a lot of effort in tracking the viruses. After the COVID-19 outbreak began, which is a brand-new virus, what have you done to track its origin?)
"The current consensus of the international academic community is that the virus originated from wild animals. But we still don't clearly know what kind of viruses that all different wild species carry on themselves across the globe and where the viruses which are highly similar to SARS-CoV-2 are. This is why it needs the cooperation between scientists all over the world to find the answers. Therefore, the issue of origin tracking is ultimately a question of science, which requires the scientists to make judgments based on scientific data and facts."

FILE: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Wuhan Institute of Virology

Storyline


The Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers who study coronaviruses carried by bats have been putting all their energy into tracing the source of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, with no time to spend on studying other viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus, said Wang Yanyi, director of the institute.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been in the eye of the storm since the COVID-19 engulfed the world. Leaving almost nowhere untouched, the infectious disease of unknown etiology has so far infected over 5 million people globally, with a death toll exceeding 338,000. It has forced shutdowns worldwide, crippling economies and upending lives overnight.

Since the first known cases were reported last December, scientists have raced to find the origins of the novel coronavirus in the hope of developing a vaccine. In the meantime, a blame game is going on, with conspiracy theories ranging from the virus "leaking" from the Wuhan Institute of Virology to China "concealing" crucial information, despite repeated claims from scientists that it originated from nature.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Wang said one of the research teams with the institute that has been studying bat coronaviruses since 2004 solely focuses on the study of SARS virus, with an aim to isolate and obtain coronaviruses similar to SARS from bats.

"You have mentioned some research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One of the teams led by Professor Shi Zhengli started to study bat coronaviruses early since 2004. But their research has been focusing on source tracing of SARS. In their research what they pay more attention to, do more research on and try to isolate and obtain are bat coronaviruses similar to SARS. We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference. So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus. This is why they didn't try to isolate and obtain RaTG-13, since its genome is only over 79 percent similar to SARS. After many years of research, Professor Shi and her team do have isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats. Now we have three strains of live viruses. One of them has the highest similarity of 96 percent to SARS. But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent," said Wang.

Wang said origin-tracking of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 is a matter of science, which requires scientists around the world to work on it on the basis of scientific data and facts.

"The current consensus of the international academic community is that the virus originated from wild animals. But we still don't clearly know what kind of viruses that all different wild species carry on themselves across the globe and where the viruses which are highly similar to SARS-CoV-2 are. This is why it needs the cooperation between scientists all over the world to find the answers. Therefore, the issue of origin tracking is ultimately a question of science, which requires the scientists to make judgments based on scientific data and facts," said Wang.


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  • ID : 8144089
  • Dateline : May 13, 2020/Recent
  • Location : China
  • Category : health
  • Duration : 3'04
  • Audio Language : Chinese/Nats
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
  • Published : 2020-05-23 22:59
  • Last Modified : 2020-05-25 17:31:00
  • Version : 4
  • ID : 8144089
  • Dateline : 13 mai 2020/Récent
  • Location : Chine
  • Category : health
  • Duration : 3'04
  • Audio Language : Chinois/Nats
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : Pas d’accès dans la partie continentale de Chine
  • Published : 2020-05-24 16:23
  • Last Modified : 2020-05-25 17:31:00
  • Version : 4
  • ID : 8144089
  • Dateline : 13 مايو 2020/الأيام الأخيرة
  • Location : الصين
  • Category : health
  • Duration : 3'04
  • Audio Language : الصينية/الصوت الطبيعي
  • Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
  • Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
  • Published : 2020-05-24 18:46
  • Last Modified : 2020-05-25 17:31:00
  • Version : 4
  • ID : 8144089
  • Dateline : 13 may. 2020/Reciente
  • Location : China
  • Category : health
  • Duration : 3'04
  • Audio Language : Chino/Nats
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : No acceso a la parte continental de China
  • Published : 2020-05-24 17:07
  • Last Modified : 2020-05-25 17:31:00
  • Version : 4

China-Coronavirus/Wuhan Virology Institute 2

Wuhan Institute of Virology research focusing on source tracing of SARS: lab director

Dateline : May 13, 2020/Recent

Location : China

Duration : 3'04

  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
  • Español


FILE: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of nameplates of Wuhan Institute of Virology of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Yanyi, director, Wuhan Institute of Virology (with reporter asking questions):
(Reporter:"You said the institute didn't have the SARS-CoV-2 nor the live virus of RaTG-13. Since Wuhan Institute of Virology has been researching coronaviruses, don't you have any live viruses? What does your virus collection center have?)
"You have mentioned some research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One of the teams led by Professor Shi Zhengli started to study bat coronaviruses early since 2004. But their research has been focusing on source tracing of SARS. In their research what they pay more attention to, do more research on and try to isolate and obtain are bat coronaviruses similar to SARS. We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference. So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus. This is why they didn't try to isolate and obtain RaTG-13, since its genome is only over 79 percent similar to SARS. After many years of research, Professor Shi and her team do have isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats. Now we have three strains of live viruses. One of them has the highest similarity of 96 percent to SARS. But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent."

3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Yanyi, director, Wuhan Institute of Virology (with reporter asking questions):
(Reporter:"Wuhan Institute of Virology has been devoted to studying coronaviruses since the SARS outbreak. You've made a lot of effort in tracking the viruses. After the COVID-19 outbreak began, which is a brand-new virus, what have you done to track its origin?)
"The current consensus of the international academic community is that the virus originated from wild animals. But we still don't clearly know what kind of viruses that all different wild species carry on themselves across the globe and where the viruses which are highly similar to SARS-CoV-2 are. This is why it needs the cooperation between scientists all over the world to find the answers. Therefore, the issue of origin tracking is ultimately a question of science, which requires the scientists to make judgments based on scientific data and facts."

FILE: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Wuhan Institute of Virology


The Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers who study coronaviruses carried by bats have been putting all their energy into tracing the source of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, with no time to spend on studying other viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus, said Wang Yanyi, director of the institute.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been in the eye of the storm since the COVID-19 engulfed the world. Leaving almost nowhere untouched, the infectious disease of unknown etiology has so far infected over 5 million people globally, with a death toll exceeding 338,000. It has forced shutdowns worldwide, crippling economies and upending lives overnight.

Since the first known cases were reported last December, scientists have raced to find the origins of the novel coronavirus in the hope of developing a vaccine. In the meantime, a blame game is going on, with conspiracy theories ranging from the virus "leaking" from the Wuhan Institute of Virology to China "concealing" crucial information, despite repeated claims from scientists that it originated from nature.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Wang said one of the research teams with the institute that has been studying bat coronaviruses since 2004 solely focuses on the study of SARS virus, with an aim to isolate and obtain coronaviruses similar to SARS from bats.

"You have mentioned some research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One of the teams led by Professor Shi Zhengli started to study bat coronaviruses early since 2004. But their research has been focusing on source tracing of SARS. In their research what they pay more attention to, do more research on and try to isolate and obtain are bat coronaviruses similar to SARS. We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference. So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus. This is why they didn't try to isolate and obtain RaTG-13, since its genome is only over 79 percent similar to SARS. After many years of research, Professor Shi and her team do have isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats. Now we have three strains of live viruses. One of them has the highest similarity of 96 percent to SARS. But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent," said Wang.

Wang said origin-tracking of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 is a matter of science, which requires scientists around the world to work on it on the basis of scientific data and facts.

"The current consensus of the international academic community is that the virus originated from wild animals. But we still don't clearly know what kind of viruses that all different wild species carry on themselves across the globe and where the viruses which are highly similar to SARS-CoV-2 are. This is why it needs the cooperation between scientists all over the world to find the answers. Therefore, the issue of origin tracking is ultimately a question of science, which requires the scientists to make judgments based on scientific data and facts," said Wang.


ID : 8144089

Published : 2020-05-23 22:59

Last Modified : 2020-05-25 17:31:00

Source : China Central Television (CCTV)

Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland

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