Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers have been on a quest to uncover the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes a COVID-19 infection.
A team of virologists has been exploring the different types of coronaviruses in bats found in southeast Asia. The goal behind the exploration was to see if they could find the source of the virus that causes COVID-19.
According to Dr. Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane University School of Medicine, “By comparing these viruses, looking for different signatures – we call them signature motifs, different parts of the virus proteins – we can start to piece together how a virus like SARS-CoV-2 could have evolved.”
Dr. Garry went on to say that virologists and researchers need to find out what other SARS-like viruses are out there so the world can be better prepared for the next pandemic.
Additionally, Dr. Garry dismissed any speculation towards SARS-CoV-2 being created in a lab as a bioweapon, saying, “There’s no reason to think that investigators in China had any viruses anywhere close to SARS-CoV-2 or knew about it before the outbreak happened.”