New Delhi/Beijing, March 29: The origin of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infection have been a mystery since the pandemic struck the world. There are theories that suggest either coronavirus came from bats or is man-made and got leaked from a laboratory in China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. Some calls it a bio-weapon. A draft copy of the study, jointly conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and China, has said a lab leak is "extremely unlikely", adding that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario. Coronavirus Leaked Accidentally From a Lab in August or September 2019, Claims Norwegian Virologist.

The complete study on the origins of coronavirus hasn't been released so far, raising questions about whether China was trying to skew the conclusions to prevent blame for the coronavirus pandemic falling on them. The draft copy of the study, obtained by The Associated Press, mentioned four scenarios in order of likelihood. It concluded that transmission through a second animal was likely to very likely. Coronavirus is Bioweapon? Congress MP Manish Tewari Shares Report That Says COVID-19 May Have Originated Due to Bioweapon Leak.

Researchers, who conducted the study, evaluated direct spread from bats to humans as likely, and said that spread through “cold-chain” food products was possible but not likely, according to the AP. While the closest relative of the virus has been found in bats, the report notes that "the evolutionary distance between these bat viruses and SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be several decades, suggesting a missing link".

The overall number of global COVID-19 cases has surpassed 127 million. The infection has claimed more than 2.78 million lives globally. The current global caseload and death toll stands at 127,092,284 and 2,782,944, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2021 01:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).