And that should work in the long run as long as China doesn't keep 'accidentally' keep re-releasing the original...
(Example: China and India have a border dispute and 7 weeks later cases skyrocket in India. That kind of crap - not saying that happened...)
I understand it's a possibility, or pure conjecture, on your part.
But think about it for a minute ...
One of the side-effects of covid19 is arterial cardio infection as well as lung scaring; with the latter affecting the ability to oxygenate the blood system.
One of the symptoms of covid is clinically known as dyspnea, a shortness of breath which can occur between 4 -10 days after infection.
It affects your ability to function, work, think, and can last for several months later; some athletes are noticing chronic shortness of breath after recovery.
The contentious border between China and India is at high altitudes, where in many cases the ability to breathe in high altitudes restricts even the ability to walk.
As I understand it, India uses natives in the area who have a biological ability to function in low oxygen environment.
Such a use of covid19 as a bio-warfare agent is not outside the realm of possibility.
Think of it as "Occam's Razor ".