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The origins of Covid

How similar are the Covid strains?

To find out where a virus comes from, researchers compare it to other viruses to try to trace its origin. This leads to claims like SARS-CoV-2 is 91 or even 96% similar to other known viruses. But what does that really mean?

Tim Harford talks to the virus ecologist Marilyn J Roossinck.

(Photo: A Microbiology lab carries out sequencing of coronavirus samples. Credit: Javier Pulpo/Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 Jun 2021 09:50GMT
BBC World Service

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Broadcasts

  • Sat 19 Jun 2021 04:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East Asia & South Asia
  • Sun 20 Jun 2021 13:50GMT
    BBC World Service
  • Sun 20 Jun 2021 21:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East Asia & South Asia
  • Mon 21 Jun 2021 02:50GMT
    BBC World Service South Asia & East Asia only
  • Mon 21 Jun 2021 09:50GMT
    BBC World Service

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Podcast

  • More or Less

    Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life