Has COVID-19 coexisted with us for years? (Getty)Scientists are still investigating the origin of the COVID-19 virus which has paralysed huge areas of the planet - but one theory suggests it isn’t as new as we think. A study recently published in Nature highlighted the fact that the virus is definitely not man-made, and is the product of natural evolution. But ScienceAlert reports it also suggests a scenario where the virus has been circulating undetected for some time, possibly years.
The researchers wrote: "It is possible that a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 jumped into humans,” and acquired new features “during undetected human-to-human transmission”.
"Once acquired, these adaptations would enable the pandemic to take off and produce a sufficiently large cluster of cases to trigger the surveillance system that detected it."
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
Read more: Coronavirus shows how vulnerable societies are, says Greta Thunberg
The researchers suggest that it’s possible the virus could have “jumped” into humans many times, writing: “Sufficient opportunity could have arisen if there had been many prior zoonotic events that produced short chains of human-to-human transmission over an extended period.”
This week, Boris Johnson wrote to 30 million households across the country warning that the outbreak will get “worse before it gets better”.
On Sunday, a key government doctor said normal life will not resume for at least six months as all parts of the UK are placed on an “emergency footing” to tackle the outbreak.
Dr Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, said the nation will not be in “complete lockdown” for half a year but that social distancing measures will be lifted gradually.
The researchers wrote: "It is possible that a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 jumped into humans,” and acquired new features “during undetected human-to-human transmission”.
"Once acquired, these adaptations would enable the pandemic to take off and produce a sufficiently large cluster of cases to trigger the surveillance system that detected it."
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
Read more: Coronavirus shows how vulnerable societies are, says Greta Thunberg
The researchers suggest that it’s possible the virus could have “jumped” into humans many times, writing: “Sufficient opportunity could have arisen if there had been many prior zoonotic events that produced short chains of human-to-human transmission over an extended period.”
This week, Boris Johnson wrote to 30 million households across the country warning that the outbreak will get “worse before it gets better”.
On Sunday, a key government doctor said normal life will not resume for at least six months as all parts of the UK are placed on an “emergency footing” to tackle the outbreak.
Dr Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, said the nation will not be in “complete lockdown” for half a year but that social distancing measures will be lifted gradually.
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