US pushes baseless, viral conspiracy

The novel coronavirus comes from nature, and accusations claiming a Chinese lab was the source of the pandemic are contrary to science itself, said Alexander Semyonov, head of the Yekaterinburg branch of the State Research Center of the Virology and Biotechnology Vector Institute.

The claims are groundless, and it is "pure fantasy" to think this coronavirus could be created with artificial methods, Semyonov said.