Is COVID-19 a bioweapon? No, that's not true: There is no evidence proving that anyone developed COVID as a bioweapon. The origin of the virus is still not confirmed but the World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating possible sources.
The claim appeared in several Hungarian language TikTok videos. One simply stated:
Covid is a bioweapon.
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Jun 22 15:46:54 2023 UTC)
Similar claims have been debunked by Lead Stories many times since the beginning of the pandemic.
During a press briefing in March 2023, epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead of the WHO, told reporters:
We already knew that there were environmental samples from Huanan market that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 [...] What the updated results that were presented to us suggest and, again, these were results that have been presented to us by international researchers who downloaded that data was, number one, that there is molecular evidence that animals were sold at the Huanan market, and that is new information. And, secondly, that those animals, that the DNA that was identified include a number of different animals, including these raccoon dogs. And from other studies we know that raccoon dogs are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
