US hampering efforts aimed at discovering origin of coronavirus: Analyst

The United States is hampering efforts by countries around the world that are calling for an international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, says a political analyst.

And the reason the US is doing so is that the fatal virus possibly originated in Fort Detrick, Maryland which is the home of US biological warfare, Kevin Barrett, an American scholar and author, told Press TV on Saturday.

“The medical authorities in China, Iran, Italy and elsewhere have all been calling for an international effort to identify the precise genetic trail of the different strains of this coronavirus and to find its true origin, the United States has been exhibiting guilty demeanor by completely ignoring this and doing everything it can to obstruct and cover up the truth.”

“This is biological warfare, this is made in US biological warfare and there is a reason why the US does not want a scientific effort to identify the different strains of this virus and find out where it originated because the place of origin is very likely going to be Fort Detrick, Maryland. Fort Detrick, Maryland is the home of US biological warfare,” he added.

The coronavirus, a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, jumped from wildlife to people in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and is currently affecting more than 200 countries and territories across the globe.

However, since the outbreak of the epidemic, its origin has been widely discussed online, and conspiracy theories around it have also emerged endlessly.

According to American health experts, the virus did not originate from a seafood market in Wuhan, but somewhere else.   

US scientists refute Wuhan as origin of novel coronavirus

The novel coronavirus did not originate from a seafood market in central China

Elsewhere in the interview, Barrett said the US, as the richest most technologically advanced country, is unable to do things to protect its citizens and stem the pandemic in comparison to much poorer countries which are carrying out this task better.

“The authorities in the United States, the richest most powerful, most technologically advanced country in on earth, at least it was until recently, are completely incompetent and unable to do things that much poorer countries do much much better and quicker.”

The virus has so far affected more than 1,200,000 people worldwide and killed over 64,000, according to a running count by worldometers.info.

In the United States, the country hardest hit by the virus so far, over 311,000 people have tested positive and more than 8,400 people have died because of the virus infection.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump warned that there would be “a lot of deaths" across the country in the weeks ahead.

Trump warns of 'a lot of death' from coronavirus, blaming media-induced public 'panic'

The US president warns of "a lot of death" in coming weeks over the coronavirus pandemic, blaming the media for causing public panic.

“This will be probably the toughest week, between this week and next week, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately,” Trump said.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk