China’s ‘bat woman’ issues stern warning, says another outbreak like Coronavirus imminent

A Chinese virologist, Shi Zhengli, known for her work on Coronavirus in bats, has said that viruses being discovered now are “just the tip of the iceberg.” She made the remarks during an interview with the Chinese state televisionZhengli said that it is “very regrettable” when science is politicized and called for international cooperation in the fight against epidemics, reported Bloomberg. Also known as China’s “bat woman,” the deputy director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology said transparency and cooperation between scientists and governments is the need of the hour. She told the Chinese state television, “We must study these unknown viruses carried by wild animals to prevent the outbreak of diseases in future.” The virologist added, “There is a possibility of another outbreak if we don’t study them.”Zhengli had earlier said that the coronavirus spreading in humans is different from one she has studied or seen before. The US had on several occasions accused China of fabricating the virus in a laboratory of Wuhan.

The virologist had earlier clarified that the pandemic had nothing to do with her lab. She wrote a social media post clarifying the accusations.The statement came after the US accused China of fabricating the virus. The ongoing pandemic has infected more than 10 million people worldwide and killed over 501,884.