Five years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virologist Christian Drosten finds it “remarkable”that China has not yet provided evidence of a natural origin of the virus, despite having the technical capabilities.
“As time passes, I become more skeptical”he told the Wochentaz. “Either it’s a matter of state reason that prevents it, or the alternative explanation is that there was no natural virus.”The German government should, in his opinion, make a more explicit demand of China to provide proof of the virus’s natural origin.
Drosten, a professor at the Charité in Berlin and a former advisor to the German government during the pandemic, pointed out that the data on the virus’s origin has developed further since the pandemic began and so has his evaluation. While he still considers a natural origin to be likely, he would not postulate that the virus came from a lab: “It’s not the same if we in 2020 did not have evidence of a natural origin, as opposed to in 2025 still not having it.”
Regardless of whether the COVID-19 pandemic originated in nature or a lab accident, Drosten expressed concern over current studies in China. As a reviewer for scientific journals, he receives works that “I would not do here and I would point out in my review that it could be dangerous.”
In China, he sees a rapid technological advancement in virus research, but also a lack of clarity on the extent of regulation and control, he told the Wochentaz.
Besides a political agreement at the UN or WHO level, the virologist advocates for the scientific community and, in particular, scientific journals that publish internationally significant studies, to establish common criteria for greater transparency in potentially dangerous virus research.