GZERO World Clips
What is the real origin of the COVID-19 virus?
What Is the Real Origin of the COVID-19 Virus? | GZERO Media
April 12, 2021
A controversial new World Health Organization report on the origins of the coronavirus that suggests it likely originated from a bat but transferred to humans via an intermediary animal. Could the virus have emerged from a Chinese lab, as former CDC Director Robert Redfield recently suggested? That's the least likely scenario, says the WHO's chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan. "The betacoronaviruses are very, very common in bats and there's a lot of genetic similarity between the SARS-CoV2 and many of the viruses in the...bat species," Dr. Swaminathan told Ian Bremmer in an interview on GZERO World, airing on US public television stations starting April 9. Check local listings.
Watch the episode: Vaccine nationalism could prolong the pandemic
More For You
Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump launched a war of choice to topple Iran's regime expecting a quick, clean win.
Most Popular
What's Good Wednesdays
What’s Good Wednesdays™ -Oscars Edition
Sponsored posts
Investing in skills. Strengthening communities.
Walmart sponsored posts
Walmart’s $1 billion investment is strengthening associate careers
Last week, Microsoft, Europol, and industry partners took coordinated action to disrupt Tycoon 2FA, a major phishing‑as‑a‑service operation designed to bypass multifactor authentication. Active since 2023, the service fueled large‑scale online impersonation, enabling fraud, data theft, and disruptions across sectors, including healthcare and education. Acting under a US court order, the coalition seized hundreds of domains that powered Tycoon 2FA’s infrastructure — underscoring the need for global, public‑private cooperation to counter industrialized cybercrime and protect digital trust. Read the full blog here.
Australian mining giant Lynas will sell rare earths to Japan for 12 years in a major pact meant to chip away at China’s dominance of the global market.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.