Prince Charles, reportedly, had actual virologists and experts raise their eyebrows after he claimed that the loss of biodiversity is the reason why the world is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. As an environmentalist, Prince Charles said that people should start going back to farming and putting nature at the center of living to avoid future pandemics.
In an interview on Sky News, Prince Charles said that humans are "paying the price" for how the planet is being treated. He warned that the more humans erode and destroy nature or its biodiversity, then the more humans will expose each other to dangers like another pandemic.
However, Professor Keith Neal from the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nottingham said that Prince Charles must be careful to make claims that are not backed by science. Neal said that too many people are talking about the coronavirus without any scientific knowledge and Prince Charles is not a coronavirus expert.
The professor went on to explain that pandemics happen because of human to animals contact in wet markets. He said that there is actually too much biodiversity in wet markets.
Virology professor Ian Jones also said that pandemics and biodiversity are interlinked so, in a sense, Prince Charles was right. But, like the other professor said, the claims of the Prince of Wales are not scientifically accurate.
Jones said that wet markets generally have poor practices when it comes to hygiene and that's how viruses can transfer from animals to humans. The expert added that a lack of biodiversity has no direct effect on the pandemic but it could be "a plausible theory."
It is believed that the coronavirus originated from bats in a wet market in Wuhan. China has since banned the eating of wild animals and the raising of exotic animals by farmers.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles has been vocal about the coronavirus after contracting COVID-19 in late March. He recently said in a meet with health workers that he's still experiencing the effects of the virus as he has lost his sense of taste and smell.
The Prince of Wales also said that he sympathizes with families who are affected by this disease as some have died all alone because their relatives cannot visit them at the hospital for fear of the virus spread. Prince Charles acknowledged that he was lucky to get away with only mild symptoms of COVID-19.
