Was the virus man-made? The World Health Organisation has declared the beginning of the end of the global crisis. But many questions remain about where Covid-19 came from in the first place.
Finally... the end of Covid really is in sight
Was the virus man-made? The World Health Organisation has declared the beginning of the end of the global crisis. But many questions remain about where Covid-19 came from in the first place.
On 31 December 2019, Chinese authorities told the World Health OrganisationThe United Nations agency responsible for global public health. (WHO) about a deadly virus in the city of Wuhan. By the end of January, Covid-19 had been spotted in 18 countries.
In March, the WHO declared a pandemicAn outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region.. Much of the world went into lockdown.
The pandemic was a once-in-a-century global crisis. So far, there have been 609 million reported cases and 6.52 million confirmed deaths, with many more estimated.1
Covid-19 has changed the world. It became hard to travel. Shops and cafes closed. People began to spend all their time on computers learning or working digitally.
Now, 990 days after the first cases, the pandemic might be about to end. Global weekly deaths are down to 11,118, the lowest level since March 2022.
We still do not know where the virus came from, however.
The most common theory is that it spread from animals to humans. Similar viruses have been found in horseshoe bats. A bat could have passed the disease to people.
But there is another idea. From the very start of the pandemic, many voices2 have pointed out that Wuhan is home to a virus laboratory. Could Covid have leaked from this lab?
In early 2021, a team of WHO investigators visited Wuhan. They said a lab leak was unlikely. But they also came back with no evidence that Covid had spread through animals.
The debate continues today. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the lab-leak theory should "remain on the table".
Those against leak theory point out that it has never happened before. Spillovers from nature happen all the time. Many past outbreaks came from the animal kingdom.
Supporters argue there is still much to learn. Lab-grown viruses have infected researchers before. Until we have proof of Covid's true source, we should keep all options open.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong><strong>Was the virus man-made?</strong></strong></h5>
Yes: The simplest story is often the best one. For Covid-19 to have emerged from animals would require a long series of transmissions. The lab-leak theory is far clearer, and therefore more likely.
No: Humans like to think that they control the world. The idea that a deadly virus can develop without us is scary, as it suggests nature is stranger and more powerful than us. And it is.
Or... We simply do not know. None of the evidence for either side is enough to rule the other one out. This could change in time. But we may never find out.
World Health Organisation - The United Nations agency responsible for global public health.
Pandemic - An outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region.
Finally… the end of Covid really is in sight

Glossary
World Health Organisation - The United Nations agency responsible for global public health.
Pandemic - An outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region.