China's "Bat Woman" Warns The Coronavirus Is Only The Tip Of The Iceberg

Shi Zhengli inside P4 laboratory in Wuhan. Photographer: Johannes Eisele / AFP via Getty Images

Shi Shi, a virologist famous for her research on baton coronavirus, said in an interview on Chinese state television that the virus was detected now, just the tip of the iceberg.

Known as the "bat woman" of China, the Deputy Director of Wuhan Institute of Virology said that research on viruses requires scientists and government to be transparent and cooperative, and it is a pity that Science is politicized.

"If we want to prevent the next infectious disease outbreak, we have to go ahead to learn about the unknown viruses brought by wildlife in the wild and give an early warning." 

Ms Thach said to CGTN. 

"If we don't have research on them, there may be another outbreak."

Ms. Thach said that the genetic characteristics of the viruses she studied were not compatible with the coronaviruses that spread in humans.

In a social media post, she wrote that she pledged her life to swear that the pandemic had nothing to do with her lab.

The pandemic from the new strain coronavirus has so far infected more than 5.4 million people worldwide and killed more than 345,000.