New details have emerged regarding Covid’s origin
Image: Nature
More than three years after the Covid pandemic began – and nearly 7 million deaths later – the virus’ origin is still a hotly-debated topic among scientists, policymakers, and journalists. And while we still don’t know the answer for certain, a pair of newly-published reports shed more light on the topic.
🦠Let’s break it down…
- Report #1: According to a new investigation from journalists Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, who both authored the Twitter Files, three scientists had been performing “gain-of-function” experiments with some of Covid’s closest viral relatives at the Wuhan Institute of Virology when they fell ill in November 2019. The trio is reportedly considered by US officials as the first people known to have been infected with Covid.
- Report #2: A separate report, published yesterday by the WSJ, identified one of the three sick researchers as a prominent scientist who previously worked on coronavirus projects funded by the US government.
📸 Big picture: Many experts are undecided, but the rest have fallen into two main schools of thought: Covid was the result of natural transmission, meaning it passed from animals to humans, or it was originally leaked from a laboratory (likely in Wuhan, China).
In total, eight US federal agencies have investigated the origin of Covid. Four concluded the virus was likely the result of natural transmission, two said Covid likely leaked from a Chinese lab, and two are still undecided.
- Worth mentioning: the FBI is the only agency to say it had “moderate confidence” in its assessment that Covid leaked from a lab, versus a “low confidence” rating from the others.
📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, which of the following is the most likely explanation for Covid’s origin?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that the main reason why the world still doesn’t know where Covid came from is because of the Chinese government’s campaign to lock down any and all research into Covid’s origins.
- Others contend that discovering the origins of Covid is important so that we can find out how best to prevent future pandemics from overrunning the globe like the previous one just did.
- “China should answer how covid-19 began. Propaganda is no substitute.” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “Let’s Imagine We Knew Exactly How the Pandemic Started” –David Wallace-Wells, NY Times
- “Note to the media: Even a broken clock can be right about COVID-19 virus origin” –Kyle Sammin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that the growing evidence pointing to the Covid lab-leak theory serves as a rebuttal to progressive media figures who previously slandered the theory’s proponents.
- Others contend that by now, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the theory that Covid leaked from a Chinese lab, and people who still refuse to believe at this point are simply deluding themselves.
- “The Covid-Origin Scandal” –National Review Editorial Board
- “It’s becoming undeniable: COVID came from a Chinese lab” –NY Post Editorial Board
- “Preparations for pandemic should include refraining from funding one” –Washington Times Editorial Board
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