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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Aug:211:113062.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113062. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Meta-analysis to explain unknown causes of the origins of SARS-COV-2

Mario Coccia  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analysis to explain unknown causes of the origins of SARS-COV-2

Mario Coccia. Environ Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

New Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious illness that has generated a pandemic crisis worldwide. One of the fundamental questions in science and society is how SARS-CoV-2 has been originated to design best practices directed to prevent and/or to cope with future hazardous pathogens. The study confronts this question here developing a meta-analysis, which endeavors to explain, whenever possible, unknown sources of the SARS-CoV-2. Findings suggest that the natural spillover of novel viral agents that generate more than 6.00 M deaths worldwide in about two years (such as, SARS-CoV-2 from February 2020 to March 2022) has a remote probability of occurrence (using an analogy with the probability of natural disasters generating a lot of fatalities), whereas science advances on hazardous viral agents and consequential lab accident have a (higher) probability of occurrence (about 13-20% like in manifold lab accidents). The findings of this meta-analysis suggest the vital role of improving the technical guidelines of biosafety at all levels in laboratories during the development of scientific research of experimental virology on hazardous pathogens to minimize risks of pandemic threats in environment and human society.

Keywords: Biosecurity risks; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emerging infectious disease; Hazardous pathogens; Laboratory biosafety; Meta-analysis; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that he has no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this paper. This study has no funders.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Top 10 journals publishing scientific research on SARS-CoV from 2005 to 2018. Source: elaboration on data of Scopus (2022).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Top 10 countries performing scientific research on SARS-CoV from 2005 to 2018. Source: elaboration on data of Scopus (2022).
Fig. 1A
Fig. 1A
Leading top 10 laboratories in performing scientific research on SARS-CoV from 2005 to 2018. Source: Scopus (2022).
Fig. 2A
Fig. 2A
Top 10 funding sponsors of scientific research on SARS-CoV from 2005 to 2018. Source: Scopus (2022).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Further reading

    1. Coccia Mario. IEMC ’03 Proceedings. Managing Technologically Driven Organizations: The Human Side of Innovation and Change. 2003. Metrics of R&D performance and management of public research institute; pp. 231–235. - DOI
    1. Coccia Mario. New directions in measurement of economic growth, development and under development. J. Econ. Polit. Econ. 2017;4(4):382–395. doi: 10.1453/jepe.v4i4.1533. - DOI
    1. Coccia Mario, Finardi U. Emerging nanotechnological research for future pathways of biomedicine. Int. J. Biomed. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2012;2(3–4):299–317. doi: 10.1504/IJBNN.2012.051223. - DOI
    1. Coccia Mario, Rolfo S. In: Innovazione e piccole imprese in Piemonte. Rolfo S., editor. Franco Angeli; 2000. Ricerca pubblica e trasferimento tecnologico: il caso della regione Piemonte. (ISBN: 9788846418784).
    1. Coccia Mario, Wang L. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 2016. Evolution and convergence of the patterns of international scientific collaboration; pp. 2057–2061. 13 (8) - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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