‘Bizarre, far-fetched facts’ on coronavirus check out

By Letter to the Editor on February 19, 2020.

There have been a few news bulletins lately on the coronavirus (covid-19) that seem beyond credibility, more like a bad science fiction movie than a world health issue. However, the bizarre, far-fetched facts check out.

China has an active biological warfare program. Professor Lieber of Harvard University was found assisting Chinese spying for $50,000 a month. Xanqunq Ye of Wuhan University of Technology (yes, same city as virus outbreak) and Zaosong Zhong have been charged with spying.

At the Public Health Agency of Canada, the high containment laboratory in Winnipeg, Xiangguo Qiu and colleagues of the Wuhan Institute of Virology tried to ship Ebola and Henipah viruses to China (and may have shipped a coronavirus strain from Egypt). The Wuhan coronavirus also appears to have HIV/AIDS genes GP-120 and gag protein.

The coronavirus has caused more than 1,000 deaths worldwide while in Canada about 7,000 deaths occur to flu each year. However, given what we know (i.e possible genetic engineering of a bio-weapon) and what we don’t know (why are people dying, can it become the next MERS with a 30% death rate?), the crisis responses may be justified.

John Cherwonogrodzky

Medicine Hat

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