Misinformation Leads to COVID-19 Crisis

The recent global pandemic attributed to COVID-19 illness alleged to be caused by SARS-CoV-2 is suspicious. All the initial isolation, findings, and determination of COVID-19 disease have been carried by doctors and scientists in mainland China when cluster of variable upper and lower respiratory symptoms or gastro-intestinal illnesses arose in Wuhan, China. Their medical personnel quickly isolate causative agent of local outbreak to novel virus named SARS-CoV-2 in conjunction with World Health Organization (W.H.O.). The original reports in  peer-reviewed publications like Science and Nature journals lack solid data to demonstrate principles of viral transmission that follows two major points of Koch’s postulates.

1) The Chinese medical and scientists collected nasal, naso-pharyngeal, and even broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). They carried out genomic determination of these samples by extracting RNAs from them, subjecting these samples to standard molecular biology techniques, and DNA sequencing. These Chinese researchers were unable to demonstrate the presence of fully mature viral particles or virions from cell culture inoculated with patients’ sample of sputum or BALF. They claimed that inoculated cell culture with patients’ samples had cytopathic effects, but provided no microscopic or immuno-fluorescence evidence of such changes.

2) In one published study by another group of Chinese doctors and scientists, one patient admitted for severe respiratory syndrome with fever, dizziness and a cough had some clinical samples that were collected to ascertain causative agent. This clinical specimen was processed in a bio-safety level 3 laboratory at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. Subsequent sequencing was carried out at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Once again, no fully mature viral particles or virions were produced by this team. Here, the main point is, full sequence of putative, novel virus isolated from RNA extract of one patient sample was published and serves as starting point to test and track for this putative pathogen. For all we know, standard cloning and molecular biology techniques could have been used to create this novel virus’s DNA (in case of coronaviruses their RNAs). 

3) Also, a group of investigators in Germany, Netherlands, U.K. and from Hong Kong were able to isolate same DNA sequence of putative novel virus using partial data from recently published data by the above Chinese team only after using DNA sequence released in public domain. This team did not obtain same DNA sequence of this putative novel virus (SARS-CoV-2) by using virus samples. In the current 2019-nCoV crisis, virus isolates or samples from infected patients were not  available to the international public health community from the Chinese doctors and scientists to validate fully functional viral particles (coronaviruses) or virions. Hence, the work of the European team is marked by same issue as Chinese teams since their novel virus sequencing relies on the work of Chinese researchers’ publication of novel virus sequences entered into public gene banks.

4) The Chinese and European teams having cloned sequence of this novel virus called COVID-19 by W.H.O. and also know as SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the coronavirus family. It has high degree of sequence homology or is very similar to another human coronavirus called SARS-CoV that was causative agent respiratory illnesses and outbreak in China ~2002-2003. However, both SARS-CoV viruses are claimed by researchers to be derived from related coronaviruses in certain bats species. Moreover, they believe an intermittent animal like palm civets  or some other animal transmitted SARS-CoV virus to humans. Let’s think for a minute, if SARS-CoV naturally evolved through intermediate animal species, then prevailing significant population of animals harboring highly related SARS-CoV viruses should be readily available and present in regional areas where these viruses originated from or claimed to be from that lead to human diseases. Thus far, how, when and where the SARS-CoV viruses arose is speculative or not clearly established.

Now for some facts on coronaviruses. Coronaviruses that cause human illnesses fall into two major groups, alpha and beta groups. Currently there are four major strain of coronaviruses that cause disease in humans, namely, HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63 and HCoVHKU1, the latter two were isolated from patients hospitalized with acute respiratory illness. The foregoing four strains of coronaviruses are known as alpha-coronaviruses. Interestingly, human coronavirus infections are found throughout the world. Studies on presence of antibodies to strains HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 have demonstrated that serum antibodies are found early in life and are even present with advancing age such that >80% of adult populations have antibodies detectable by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Also, clinical and epidemiology studies show that alpha-coronaviruses account for 10–35% of common colds based on seasons of the year. Most infections with human coronaviruses cause “common cold” symptoms and rarely upper respiratory infections.

In contrast, the betacoronaviruses embody the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The former betacoronavirus was the causative agent for outbreak of acute respiratory distress, pneumonia, and in vulnerable patients led to multi-organ failure. The latter betacoronavirus, MERS-CoV was another unusual virus triggering severe respiratory disease that began as cough and fever that in certain patients progressed to acute respiratory distress and respiratory failure within a week. Thus far, with exception of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, most strains of human coronaviruses are difficult to grow in cell culture or in vivo.

Back to less than stellar scientific data or information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

5) The United States’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued testing kit for COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 novel virus or pathogen. This kit allows for real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to detect presence of coronavirus RNAs or (in PCR, their DNAs) in various clinical samples. However, there are major issues with this testing kit. Three set of primers check for presence of the N gene found in COVID-19 virus, but the primers due their selected sequences used are faulty since these primers could have better specificity. The lack of increased specificity can lead to higher false positive since widely circulating human coronaviruses mentioned above have high degree of sequence homology in N gene. Hence, COVID-19 positive (+) result could arise from harboring or infection with these strains of HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63 and HCoVHKU1 and not COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. Also, the three N-based primers have potential for creating hairpins, self-dimers, or oligo-interactions that can lead to higher artifacts in PCR and false positive tests depending on combination of reagents, reaction temperature, and cycling used in RT-PCR runs. The primers used or issued by W.H.O. for RT-PCR could face similar technical issues with high false positive rates with testing of clinical samples, namely, throat or nasal swabs and even BAFL.

6) It is reported that for COVID-19  human-to-human transmission is the means to infection of varying degrees in form of common cold, flu-like symptoms, upper respiratory illness, lower respiratory illness or in some patients pneumonia with sequelae of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), respiratory failure, and eventual multi-organ failure that can lead to high death rates. It is reported that infection can arise by entry of the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by primarily touching of the mouth (oral), nose (nasal) or less extent, the eyes. Hence, oro-naso-pharyngeal routes are main means that this virus gains entry into human bodies. Also, touching surfaces that may harbor COVID-19 viruses and then touching the mouth or nose or eyes can lead to possible infection. In this paradigm, no one knows how many infectious viral particles or active virions are needed to start any infection that leads to common cold, upper or lower respiratory infections. In other words, what is the minimal viral load at one time required to start infections in humans? Also, the COVID-19 like any virus does not have ability to jump off one’s clothes or attire if they are present there to latch on to another person or their clothes without direct physical contact or interaction.

7) The COVID-19 is presumed to cause infections via air droplets or person can be infected from airborne transmission. Once again, the questions of how much viral load that can trigger infections and viral stability in different air temperature and condition are unclear. Besides, there are many airborne disease that cause various human illnesses including common cold, upper or lower respiratory infections and even pneumonia that can lead to worsening health outcomes in uncontrolled or co-infections and co-existing medical conditions. Some common airborne infections are: Rhinovirus causing common cold, Influenza, Chickenpox, Mumps, Measles, Whooping cough (pertussis), Tuberculosis (TB), Diphtheria, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV),  and less common airborne diseases of Anthrax, Hansen’s disease, and bacterial or viral meningitis. Many airborne illnesses are prevented since vaccines exist for their causative agents in case of mumps, measles, chicken pox, seasonal flu, whooping cough,and  diphteria. Hence, Social Distancing is not required or practiced for them, but there are at least ~10 million active known TB cases that are spread by coughing and aerosols, too. These airborne illnesses can also be spread just by breathing without the need to sneeze or cough into someone’s face. If aerosols in breaths, sneezes or coughs have infectious particles, certain percentage may get infected and have illness caused by that infectious pathogen. Not 100% of people will get infected with aerosolized pathogens, but certain percentage could get infected depending on many factors.

8) It is recommended based on by U.S.A.’s CDC that in the COVID-19 pandemic, people wear some sort of face mask or scarf or face cover to reduce transmission of COVID-19. It is believed that person wearing face mask will reduce transmission of COVID-19 if they are truly infected and also diminish chances of catching it from someone else. However, for the face mask wearer if he or she sneezes or coughs if they are infected, then re-entry of any infectious pathogens back into their oral and nasal cavities can happen since they are partially inhibiting expulsion of aerosols into the external air. They can be self-infecting or auto-infect with infectious particles due to voiding of aerosols into inner surface of face masks that serves as source of pathogens to re-enter or concentrate in mouth or nasal areas for re-entry into already infected oro-naso-pharyngeal or upper or lower respiratory tract to cause lingering or worsening or deeper infection. Hence, if one chooses not to wear face mask, he or she may risk exposure to airborne pathogens, but such has been the evolutionary existence of human beings to meet environmental challenges, strengthen innate immunity, and acquire adaptive immunity with non-lethal exposure to various pathogens in daily lives, human history, and growth of population. Also, some clinical studies have indicated that in illnesses without debilitating cough, it is better to cough away rather than use cough suppressant since clearance of respiratory pathogens is faster with healthy recovery. Also, simple homemade face masks do allow for aerosols or liquid droplets less than 100 uM to pass  through into the air; they are not impermeable to small-sized aerosols.

FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, AND BIG BROTHER GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD, THERE GOES YOUR A.I.-based FACE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WITH PEOPLE DONNING FACE MASKS OF VARIOUS KINDS IN THIS PANDEMIC AND POST-PANDEMIC SITUATIONS!

PRIVACY ADVOCATES COULD REJOICE IN FUTILITY OF FACE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY.

9) One other possibility to consider is that COVID-19 0r novel SARS-CoV-2 virus-induced illness may be the decoy pathogen reported originally by Chinese authorities and researchers. Since this pandemic has been reported to have many patients who develop pneumonia,  ARDS, respiratory failure or even multi-organ failure with many mortalities, another underlying or true pathogen could be the cause. Also, one hears, reads or views several reports per day of people dying in very short time (1-3) once admitted to hospital with flu-like or major respiratory symptoms, the current pandemic could be caused by Pneumonic plague. In pneumonic plague, the infection is in the lungs and people can die very quickly if appropriate antimicrobial therapy is not initiated in timely manner with ARDS features and eventual septicemia or multi-organ failure. Pneumonic plague is transmitted by aerosols and respiratory-related activities. Pneumonic plague has been very rare, but this pathogen as underlying cause being masked by COVID-19 faulty test results (see above in point #5) or ubiquitous presence of human coronoviruses circulating globally could lead to high death rates.

There are several other issues with the current COVID-19 crisis that is front and center of the U.S.A.’s and world’s efforts to fight some “invisible enemy,” but they are better suited for another post with further examination, probing, and understanding of this crisis that started in China with no information on patient Zero there or in the U.S.A. that began in one nursing home in Seattle, Washington.

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