Politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing could have devastating effects on the global fight against the pandemic.

"All studies show that the virus mutates naturally. All the changes within it are natural, at least they completely fit into the mutation scheme that is known in virology," said Larisa Popovich, director of the Institute for Health Economics at Russia's National Research University Higher School of Economics.

Some new research that proves otherwise may not be devoid of political overtones, she added.