WHO expert rules out man-made origin of COVID-19

This screen grab from footage released by Russia-24 news channel shows that Russian virologist and WHO expert Dmitry Lvov is being interviewed on May 29, 2021.

Roughly 150 viruses have been transmitted to humans from animals during the domestication of wild animals, Lvov said.

MOSCOW, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Concerns over the artificial origins of COVID-19 do not have any value, Russian virologist and expert at the World Health Organization Dmitry Lvov said.

"Coronaviruses are primarily viruses associated with bats. Someone could have been infected either in a room where a bat spent the night or in a cave where bats usually live in large numbers," he said.

Roughly 150 viruses have been transmitted to humans from animals during the domestication of wild animals, Lvov told a Russian television program last week.

"A person could have eaten some meat from animals that have ecological ties with bats, thus becoming the first source of infections," he added.