Why do people believe Covid was made in a lab?

[Disabrie22]

I saw this on another thread about someone having a cold - where does this theory come from? I only know one person who believes this, who interestingly is in medicine. I have no strong opinion, just trying to live through this like most people. But I’m interested in why people might believe this.

She laughs at the bat theory as why now.

What does this sentence mean?

Generally because people need to feel that things are within our control.

The fact nature can create a virus that kills and hospitalises millions of people, dramatically changes their way of life and means lockdowns happen is scary to them.

It helps their minds to think that humans were responsible for it rather than something beyond their control.

The fact is that one single bat can contain 1 to the power of 25 (that's a 1 with 25 noughts after it) different coronaviruses within its blood and with their being millions of bats in the world it's only likely that one of these trillions and trillions of viruses might mutate in a way that's harmful to us.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/20/bat-virus-shipped-wuhan-laboratory-covid-outbreak-emails-show/

No, viruses are not patented, Factcheck here
www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-patents-idUSKBN27C1PA

But that link clearly states that they DO have patents. As I said, (and the article covers), the discussion is about whether that means that they were invented/man-made or just identified/registered - but the fact of their having patents is clearly confirmed.

The WHO investigated it. I'd have thought they would have reasonable grounds to have to do that.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57268111

It might not be what happened but it's certainly a very real possibility - one that is being investigated by the WHO (amongst others).

The fact is that one single bat can contain 1 to the power of 25 (that's a 1 with 25 noughts after it) different coronaviruses within its blood and with their being millions of bats in the world it's only likely that one of these trillions and trillions of viruses might mutate in a way that's harmful to us.

No one's ever established a clear narrative as to how it passed from bats to humans though.

The fact nature can create a virus that kills and hospitalises millions of people, dramatically changes their way of life and means lockdowns happen is scary to them.

I don't personally find it any less scary if it came down to human error though. Nature is destructive and unpredictable. Humans are fallible not as in control as they'd like. That's a sobering combination.

Bear in mind that there are Institutes of Virology in major cities all over the place. A city is also the most likely place for an outbreak to happen (because people are generally getting closer to each other, obviously). So pretty much any viral outbreak will occur in a city, and there's a good chance there will be a lab studying viruses somewhere nearby.

I'm not saying it didn't "escape from a lab", just that the presence of a lab nearby isn't evidence of anything.

One article from a source relating to Harvard (can't get it to hand again) gave information on Shi Zhengli ('the Bat Woman') and her work on the tracking and history of the family of coronaviruses. Most of these show development that makes sense as natural, slow progression and passage between species. When this one is analysed, according to the article the original form bears more resemblance to a strain last known of in the Georgian period. Its characteristics appear 200 years out of date compared to what is going on with the rest of the corona family.

This is combined with interesting information from a German SARS virologist and expert interviewed in Die Welt I think (Christian Drosten), who seems pretty sure that the adaptation would be possible to arise more successfully through the fur industry than bats, but at least, through a herd species that is closer or mor valued for humans.

www.economist.com/international/2021/05/29/assessing-the-theory-that-covid-19-leaked-from-a-chinese-lab

Definitely not impossible

Science likes to tweak viruses for medical, military reasons or just to study the amazing microscopic world that exists. Accidents happen.

Google it......

Foot and mouth leak 2007 was from Pirbright lab a leaky drain was given as the cause

V good, long-read, article here. www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins

I agree with your points sausageroll but on this:

who questions or doubts the official narrative

The lab leak possibility was part of the official narrative (investigation).

Was it confirmed officially from the outset, or did it later come to light a little later, though? If the latter, who first suggested it as a possibility? Either way, whilst a lot of 'conspiracy theories' are complete rubbish, some of them that are condemned as ridiculous do indeed later turn out to be proven true.

There actually was a legitimate and real concern it was man-made. Investigators from the WHO tried to look into it in china but couldn't find any evidence - however it was felt they didn't have full access.
So the virus itself was studied by scientists and while they cannot fully rule out whether it was man made, they think it is much more likely it wasn't.
I'm not sure why you find it hard to believe.

Because the way a virus is mutated in a lab is not massively dissimilar to the way they are mutated in nature ie. A spontaneous ( natural) mutation can mimic one seen in a lab.
Also containment facilities are reliant on the scientists following protocols. When I worked in a prion (eg.mad cow disease) containment lab I could have just walked out with a vial and poured it into someones food if the thought crossed my mind. Universities even in this country have access to a huge stock piles of potentially dangerous things from chemicals through to viruses. It only takes 1 scientist to go off the rails and release something or a simple lab slip up.
I dont know where the mutation came from no one really does but I could definetly see it coming from a lab.

Bear in mind that there are Institutes of Virology in major cities all over the place.

I don't think there are actually that many.

The fact that Wuhan was known to be investigating bat coronavirus as party of their research programme would give one pause for thought.

Because it's entirely possible.
Because it's being looked into via official channels.
Because as a PP said the virus didn't 'feel' like anything I'd ever had before, there was something.. artificial about it. Chemical. It's hard to explain but it didn't feel.. organic.

Because it's been a lot of hassle from someone eating a bat really hasn't it

I think an accidental leak is plausible, not necessarily a man-made virus, but maybe a sample collected for study which escaped. The fact the WHO are investing this, shows it must be a possibility, and the fact they have had difficulties getting access is interesting.

I'm pretty sure it's not some sinister plot, as if you were going to intentionally release a virus, you'd surely do it no where near the lab, to avoid such suspensions.

@EarringsandLipstick

She laughs at the bat theory as why now.

What does this sentence mean?

She [now] laughs at the bat theory as [to the reason] why now

Made sense to me in the first place though.

@Anycolourwilldo

There actually was a legitimate and real concern it was man-made. Investigators from the WHO tried to look into it in china but couldn't find any evidence - however it was felt they didn't have full access. So the virus itself was studied by scientists and while they cannot fully rule out whether it was man made, they think it is much more likely it wasn't. I'm not sure why you find it hard to believe.

It’s probably easy to believe as, pre-vaccine, the virus has been so efficient at killing certain groups. It’s perfectly ‘designed’ in that respect, as grim as that is.

I accept that we’ll probably never know, but it’s an interesting theory that it was lab created, and in some ways scarier to think that it was created naturally.

@DinaofCloud9

Because someone ate a bat and the whole world got infected sounds bonkers

That's where I am. A leak from a lab just seems much more plausible than "man eats bat, world goes to pot."