Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has made controversial claims in his upcoming memoir, Unleashed, suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic was entirely man-made. This revelation was reported by the British outlet Daily Mail ahead of the book's release on October 10, 2024.
In the memoir, Johnson, who led the UK during the height of the pandemic from July 2019 to September 2022, states, "The awful thing about the whole Covid catastrophe is that it appears to have been entirely man-made, in all its aspects." This assertion adds fuel to the ongoing debate surrounding the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has claimed over 7 million lives globally, according to the World Health Organization.
While some scientists have supported the theory that the virus originated from animal transmission at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, a notable faction of virologists believes that a lab accident could also be a plausible source. Johnson aligns himself with the latter view, describing the virus as the result of a "botched experiment in a Chinese lab." He likened the actions of scientists to a scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth, suggesting that the virus escaped from a laboratory setting.
The implications of Johnson's claims could reignite discussions about global health security and the need for transparency in scientific research, particularly in relation to pandemic preparedness and response.