THERE ARE RESEARCHERS WORKING % TO FIND OUT WHERE COVID-19 CAME
FROM.
FROM. HERE IS RICHARD ENGEL IN %
SINGAPORE WITH THE LIKELY
CULPRIT . %
>> Reporter: DR. ANDERSON TOOK %
ME TO ANOTHER PART OF THE
FACILITY TO SHOW ME WHERE THE %
VIRUS CAME FROM. %
OF THAT HERE CAPTURED ONE INTO %
THE CONTAINMENT CAGE SHE SHOWED
IT TO ME. %
>> HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT %
THE CORONAVIRUS CAME FROM BATS?
>> PROBABLY 90% CONFIDENT THAT %
IT CAME FROM BATS. %
>> THE INITIAL CONTAMINATION %
LIKELY HAPPENED HERE AT A %
FILTHY ANIMAL MARKET IN WUHAN, %
CHINA. %
CHINA. % SOMEONE THERE RICHARD OF THAT %
AND CAME INTO CONTACT WITH %
BLOOD OR YOUR RENT AND THEN %
TOUCH HIS OR HER MOUTH OR NOSE.
>> IN ANSWERING THE QUESTION OF
WHERE COVID-19 CAME FROM GIVES
YOU SOMETHING TO BLAME AND HELP
SCIENTISTS ADDRESSES AND OTHER %
VIRUSES THAT JUMP FROM HUMANS
TO ANIMALS.
TO ANIMALS. THIS HAPPENS TO BE HER %
SPECIALTY. %
SPECIALTY. % THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. %
LET’S START OFF WITH HOW DO WE %
KNOW IF IT’S THE BATS FAULT? %
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE GENETIC %
INFORMATION OF THE VIRUS WHICH %
IS WHAT WE DO WHEN WE SEQUENCE,
THE GENETIC INFORMATION, THAT %
IS BASICALLY THE GENOME.
THIS INDICATES WHAT THE %
PROVIDENCES. %
PROVIDENCES. % THE GENETIC INFORMATION IS LIKE
A BARCODE. ,
,%
,% >> SO THEY’RE ABLE TO LOOK AT %
THE VIRUS IN HUMANS AND TRACE %
IT ALL THE WAY BACK AND SAY %
THIS IS WHERE IT STARTED. %
>> THAT IS RIGHT. %
IF YOU COMPARE THAT INFORMATION
IT IS BASICALLY SO SIMILAR THAT
FOR THAT TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY IS
PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. %
WE KNOW THE ANCESTOR OF THE %
VIRUS IN HUMAN HAD TO BE ABOUT
VIRUS. %
VIRUS. % >> PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT
PATIENT ZERO. %
IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO %
DO. %
DO. % WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT
WHERE IT ORIGINATED? %
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
TRANSMISSION, BASICALLY FROM AN
ANIMAL TO HUMAN, WHAT YOU OFTEN
WANT TO UNDERSTAND IS WHAT ARE %
THE CONDITIONS THAT LEADS TO
THAT TRANSMISSION? %
AND SO KNOWING WHERE THE VIRUS %
COMES FROM IS IMPORTANT FROM A
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STANDPOINT. %
IF THE COMES FROM BATS, COULD %
WE PREVENT SUCH AN EMERGENCE BY
PREVENTING THE CONTACT OF HUMAN
AND ANIMAL OR WILDLIFE IN THIS %
CASE. %
CASE. % IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO KNOW %
WHERE A VIRUS COMES FROM %
>> ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I GET %
FROM VIEWERS IS IF THIS WILL %
MUTATE AND THEY WILL HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING WITH THE FLU OR COULD
IT BE EVEN MORE DEADLY? %
>> A VIRUS ALWAYS MUTATES. %
JUST BY NATURE.
THEY MUTATE QUITE QUICKLY AND %
THAT IS PART OF THEIR
ADAPTATION TO THEIR NEW HOST. %
IT WILL MUTATE AND IS VERY %
POSSIBLE THAT WILL BE LIKE THE %
FLU WHERE THE MUTATION WILL %
LEAD TO NEW SURFACE PROTEINS. %
THAT IS WHAT ARE IMMUNE SYSTEM %
RECOGNIZES, BASICALLY THE %
PROTEINS ON THE SURFACE OF THE %
VIRUS. %
VIRUS. % IT IS POSSIBLE THAT CORONAVIRUS
WILL BE LIKE THE FLU WHERE %
ALTHOUGH NOW WE ARE ALL %
SUSCEPTIBLE AND WE WILL %
EVENTUALLY, WE SUSPECT MAYBE %
80% OF US WILL CATCH IT, WE %
WILL HAVE SOME RESISTANCE AGAIN
WITH THAT PERSON OF THE VIRUS. %
IT IS POSSIBLE IT BECOMES A %
SEASONAL CORONAVIRUS LIKE WE %
SEE IN THE HUMAN POPULATION. %
WE HAVE HUMAN CORONAVIRUS THE %
COMES BACK EVERY YEAR. %
IT COULD BE THAT SARS KOFI %
COULD BECOME AN EPIDEMIC. %
THE VACCINE WOULD HAVE TO BE %
UPDATED EVERY YEAR JUST LIKE %
THE FLU. %
>> UP UNTIL A COUPLE WEEKS AGO %
IT WAS CALLED NOVEL %
CORONAVIRUS. %
CORONAVIRUS. % WE DON’T HAVE MUCH PROTECTION %
AGAINST IT. %
IT MIGHT BUILD UP OVER TIME.
>> CORRECT. %
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE %
FLU. %
FLU. % ALL SEASONAL FLU THAT WE SEE %
TODAY WERE PANDEMICS DECADES %
AGO. %
AGO. % THE 1918 FLU THAT WE TALKED %
ABOUT AS THE WORST PANDEMIC WE %
HAVE SEEN IN OUR HISTORY IS %
ACTUALLY NOW A SEASONAL FLU. %
IT BECAME A SEASONAL FLU UNTIL %