North Korea had claimed to be totally free of COVID-19 patients for almost a year and a half while the coronavirus was raging across the world. After finally reporting its first official case in May 2022, authorities there rejected free offers of vaccine support from other countries for no clear reason.
The Hubei region of China was the epicenter for the virus outbreak causing the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first pneumonia patient clusters appearing in the city of Wuhan with a population of over 10 million people. Information on patient zero remains elusive with no cooperation by Chinese authorities on this matter.
With nearing 7 million deaths and almost 10 percent of the global population infected, the origin of the SARS-CoV2 virus remains elusive. Knowing its origin will not bring back the dead or give closure to their families; especially for those who died alone and without their loved ones around them, and for those buried in mass graves across many countries. So, why is the origin of this particular virus so important?