Duke experts discuss what we know about the origins of COVID-19

It's been one year since COVID-19 stunned the world, but many questions still remain, including where it came from.

"Three possibilities: the virus was brought to Wuhan by a human, by animal or by frozen food," said Professor Linfa Wang, Duke University.

At this point, most scientists agree the ancestor virus of COVID-19 did come from bats. And experts say that's a result of the human race imposing upon the natural ecosystem.

"It's this notion of out moving into places where we really don't need to be," said Professor Stuart Pimm at Duke University.

And the experts agree, this is not the first time or last time we'll see this type of virus. So our current ways of responding need to improve.

"We have sort of what I call a whack-a-mole policy right now. We wait until a pathogen causes a lot of morbidity and then we respond," said Dr. Gregory Gray, Duke Medical School.

So they say we need to learn our lesson now because another virus and pandemic is inevitable.

"We have to treat viruses like a common enemy, politics aside, and like fighting terrorists or fighting crime," said Professor Wang.

The experts also addressed the variants now present on the U.S. They say it's likely scientists will be able to adapt our vaccines to make sure we continue to be protected as we discover new strains of this virus in the future.