The statement was made on June 1, after Professor Alberto Zangrillo, Head of the Department of Active Rehabilitation at San Raffaele Hospital, Lombardy City, Italy, confirmed that nCoV was "clinically non-existent". Before that, Massimo Clementi, another of his colleague, conducted research in support of this idea, the results expected to be released next week.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's epidemiologist, as well as several other experts on viruses and other infectious diseases, argues that this is an argument without scientific basis. There are currently no data to show that nCoV is changing, in both transmission type and severity for the patient.
In fact, nCoV can be inoculated to adapt it spread in different regions. However, Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said this does not mean that nCoV's virulence is weakening. Thesis has been proven through many large studies.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO epidemiologist, during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Reuters
"With data from more than 35,000 nCoV genomes, there is currently no evidence that the severity of the pathogen has decreased," he said.
Dr. Oscar MacLean, Center for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, agrees. The theory was genetically impossible, he said.
According to Johns Hopkins University medical experts, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, George Washington University and Northwell Health, nCoV hasn't changed much since the beginning of the translation. Previously, many scientists said that nCoV is a fairly stable pathogen, the transformation process occurs but is relatively slow.
In an interview with international media, Leana Wen, professor of public health, George Washington University, said: "The Italian doctor's statement (Zangrillo) is dangerous. It is a false reassurance, not based on scientific evidence. He also warned Covid-19 as a contagious infectious disease, warning the public to be more vigilant than ever.
Currently nCoV has spread to 221 countries and territories, causing more than 6 million people infected and about 377,000 people died. Some areas have managed to control the epidemic, but the simultaneous relaxation of the social order has made experts concerned about the second "wave" of outbreaks. Meanwhile, protests in the US did not make the situation any more worrying.
(Reuters)
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