There have been some who have stated that Covid-19 escaped by accident from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This lab researched bats that carry these types of viruses. [1]
Research into lab leak theory
President Joe Biden ordered a review on the origins of the virus to determine if it escaped from a Wuhan lab or other source. [2]
Funding of research
The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, approved a research grant to the Wuhan lab for $600,000 on May 2014. This was five months before gain-of-function research was outlawed in America. [3] Some have spread the rumor that he knowingly funded such research there. [4] Dr. Fauci has said "NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” [5] [6]
Google gave money to EcoHealth Alliance, which went to the Wuhan lab. Google owns YouTube which demonetized any videos mentioning the virus at all. [7]
EcoHealth Alliance's president, Peter Daszak, was quoted by Science Feedback, a fact-checking partner of Facebook, that there was no chance of a lab leak, claiming the virus came from natural origins instead. [8] Facebook's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg did also communicate by email with Dr. Fauci about the virus. Facebook had a ban on anyone posting any information about the possibility of a lab leak on Facebook until May 2021, when they decided to start allowing it “in light of ongoing investigations into the origin”. [9]
World Health Organization
WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: "Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts". The WHO team investigating the virus's origin were not allowed to do a full audit of the Wuhan lab. [10] He later stated it was "premature" to dismiss the lab leak as the origin of the virus. [11]
Over two dozens experts signed an open letter calling for a proper investigation in China specifically to determine if a lab leak happened from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Their complaints about the previous investigation was that China was given veto power over who was allowed to be on the investigation team. Peter Daszak, who has a long-time collaboration with the Wuhan lab, was on the team. Other complaints were that they weren't allowed to enforce international protocols, they weren't allowed to demand access to records or samples at the lab, nor talk to any key personnel there. [12]
Former CDC director Robert Redfield stated he believes COVID-19 came from the Wuhan lab. He also states the WHO were compromised. [13]
The WHO-China investigation team did write in their report: “The closest known CoV RaTG13 strain (96.2%) to SARS-CoV-2 detected in bat anal swabs have been sequenced at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The Wuhan CDC laboratory moved on 2nd December 2019 to a new location near the Huanan market. Such moves can be disruptive for the operations of any laboratory.” [14]
Source from animals
University of Oxford researchers announced they had visited the wet markets of Wuhan in November 2019 and found there were no bats or pangolins there. They state that "bats are not typically eaten in Central China". [15] Specific details of their research were published in the scientific journal Nature. [16]
Josh_Rogin#Wuhan_lab_theory
In an article written by Josh Rogin in the Washington Post, it was reported that US diplomats had visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology three times in 2017 and 2018, and reported back they did not have proper staffing, training, or safety equipment. They also warned that the lab was performing risky research on bat coronaviruses. [17]
See also
External links
References
- ^ WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Footage proves bats were kept in Wuhan lab, retrieved 2021-06-21
- ^ "Did Covid come from a Wuhan lab? What we know so far". the Guardian. May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Fact-check: Did Dr. Fauci fund research that created COVID-19?". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Biosafety Expert Explains Why Fauci's NIH 'Gain-of-Function' Testimony Was 'Demonstrably False'". www.msn.com.
- ^ "Rand Paul Urges Fauci to Abandon Gain-of-Function Research, Citing Possible COVID Lab Leak". May 11, 2021.
- ^ "Dr. Fauci and CDC Director Walensky Testify on Efforts to Combat COVID-19 | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
- ^ Halon, Yael (2021-06-21). "Google's reported ties to Wuhan linked scientist points to one of the 'biggest scandals' of our time: Hilton". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ Rutz, David (2021-06-03). "Media fact-checkers, Facebook cited Wuhan lab-linked scientist to knock down lab leak theory". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ "Facebook lifts ban on posts claiming Covid-19 was man-made". the Guardian. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ "The WHO's leader said its investigation into whether the coronavirus leaked from a Wuhan lab was not 'extensive enough'". www.msn.com.
- ^ "The WHO's Chief Says It Was Premature To Rule Out A Lab Leak As The Pandemic's Origin". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "What happened in Wuhan? Why questions still linger on the origin of the coronavirus". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ Exclusive: Former CDC director believes COVID-19 came from Wuhan lab, retrieved 2021-06-15
- ^ "WHO-China report on coronavirus's origin conflicts with declassified US intelligence". Washington Examiner. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ^ "The wet market sources of Covid-19: bats and pangolins have an alibi | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk.
- ^ Xiao, Xiao; Newman, Chris; Buesching, Christina D.; Macdonald, David W.; Zhou, Zhao-Min (June 7, 2021). "Animal sales from Wuhan wet markets immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 11898. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-91470-2 – via www.nature.com.
- ^ "Opinion | State Department cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-06-16.