‘A great example of team science’: Sask. virologist assists global study on origins of COVID-19
A scientist at the University of Saskatchewan was part of the global team researching how COVID-19 began.
“It’s really a point of pride for me to be representing the only institution from Canada on that paper,” Angela Rasmussen told CTV News. “It is such an important paper.”
The team’s conclusions have been published in a Science journal article titled: The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rasmussen said the article took about a year to put together and was a team effort.
“Some of us knew each other, but we had originally gotten together sort of organically because there was a lot of misinformation going around about the origin of the virus.”
She said it was essential to know where and how COVID-19 started.
“We really want to use this information to prevent future pandemics. And it's really, really clear to me that this pandemic started much the same way that the original SARS Coronavirus epidemic started, and that was through the live animal trade,” she said.
“So what we really need to be thinking about going ahead is how do we mitigate this risk? Because there's clearly other SARS Coronavirus circulating in these animals. We need to understand a lot more about the circumstances that brought these animals to the market in the first place and the circumstances under which people are interacting with them.
“It's not just about finding how this pandemic started, it's also about preventing the next one.”
Rasmussen said the research had some challenges to overcome.
“It really did require a lot of detective work from all of us and kind of trying to go over the evidence that does exist and that is accessible, and then verifying it,” she explained. “Which is very challenging to do when you know none of us can actually go to China.”
She said the team gathered various kinds of data and information together including mobile phone data, hospital records and details on what types of animals were sold at the Wuhan market.
“We really had to do a lot of sleuthing and pull all of these different streams of evidence together.”
Their paper has gone through a peer review process and she said they are confident in the results.
“We were able to really piece all of these puzzle pieces together in a way that that painted a picture to us that was pretty conclusive,” she said.
“It was a great example of team science. And it was really a fantastic collaboration.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.