According to the newspaper New York Post, Chinese scientists are conducting experiments with a mutant strain of Covid-19 that has been shown to be 100% lethal to “humanized” mice. That is, mice modified to reflect a human-like genetic makeup
Using as a basis research released last week in Beijing, the publication says that a deadly virus, called GX_P2V, attacked the brains of mice and all those infected died in just eight days, presenting a “surprisingly” fast mortality rate.
The GX_P2V strain also attacks organs such as lungs, bones, eyes, tracheas and brains. Scientists’ reports are that, before succumbing, the mice lost weight rapidly, adopted a hunched posture and moved extremely slowly, in addition to their eyes becoming completely white the day before death.
The GX_P2V strain is a mutated version of GX/2017, a coronavirus cousin that was reportedly discovered in Malaysian pangolins in 2017, three years before the pandemic. Pangolins, also known as scaly ants, are mammals found in tropical areas.
The results of the study, although alarming, represent the first time that a 100% mortality rate has been reported in mice infected with the virus related to Covid-19, surpassing the results of previous studies. However, the researchers emphasize that the results do not indicate how the strain would affect humans.
RESEARCHER CRITICIZES CHINESE TESTS
Francois Balloux, an expert in epidemiology at the Institute of Genetics at University College London, criticized the research as “appalling” and “completely scientifically meaningless”. He expressed concern about the lack of information about the biosafety levels adopted in the experiments.
RESEARCH HAS NO CONNECTION WITH WUHAN
Also according to the New York Post, the 2024 study does not appear to have links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in China, which was the target of theories about laboratory leaks during the Covid-19 pandemic. US intelligence agencies, however, have not found direct evidence of a leak from the laboratory, although they have not ruled out the possibility of origins elsewhere.