human
Don't you think that China started Covid on purpose?
assistant
I don't have access to that kind of information, or any information about any potential interior motives or intent for the virus, only the known facts of the outbreak. I can share some details of the outbreak and what we know about it. First, it is a new virus which appeared in China in December, and is highly contagious. The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in January. The virus has spread rapidly around the world, and was declared a pandemic on March 11th. As of April 26th, there have been over 3.2 million confirmed cases and more than 165,000 deaths worldwide. The vast majority of the cases and deaths have occurred in China, but there are now large outbreaks in many other countries around the world. It is unclear how the virus originates or where it evolved, but continuing research is aiming to understand the virus better, and find possible treatments and preventions. Meanwhile, the best approach is to follow public health guidance, including regular hand washing and social distancing, to reduce risks of infection.