Lab Leak Hypothesis of COVID-19: Exploring the grey area where science and politics intertwine!

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many voices from across the world have raised pointing fingers at a plausible lab-leak origin of the virus. Many such claims fueled by the former US President Donald Trump himself gained wide acceptance among people, albeit they all lacked evidence. However, majority of researchers across the world believe in a natural origin of the virus. Now, after several months of silence the lab-leak hypothesis has gained renewed interests among many, including several scientists. The reason for this, although bereft proof is the failure to determine a natural or intermediary host or even isolate SARS-CoV-2 samples from any screened animals so far (it usually takes years due to various difficulties. It took 14 years to determine the intermediate host of SARS-CoV). Several proponents also voice concern over lab-leak by citing the presence of strange insertions in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. An elaborate genomic study of the virus, published in Nature Medicine by Dr. Kristian Andersen's group at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California has clearly discussed about the proximal origin of the virus via probable evolutionary routes (Nature Medicine volume 26, pages450–452 (2020)). Conversely, the premature conclusion that a probable lab-leak is highly unlikely in the phase 1 investigation by WHO to unravel the origin of the virus has sparked a row of questions on its credibility. In the aftermath, WHO has announced the conclusions derived are premature and further phases of investigation are warranted before a final conclusion has been made. It is therefore high-time that the WHO announce the next phase of investigations.

Nevertheless, the lab-leak hypothesis stands as an equally likely route of emergence of the virus, and its validity ought to be rigorously tested to preserve the sanctity and integrity of scientific research.

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