The Beijing government faces more troubles after the World Health Organisation sought information over the claims that coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in China. US Energy Department has concluded that the lab leak in Wuhan led to the Covid pandemic- the worst health crisis in decades. It corroborated the reports and evidence provided by many scientists and intelligence agencies about the virus being leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology that worked on coronaviruses. While the Chinese government is refuting the new report, the pressure is mounting on it to come clean on it.
Scientists assert it is important to find out how the pandemic killed seven million people across the globe, which makes it necessary to learn about its origin in order to avert similar health crises in future. China has so far refused to reveal information on possible reasons for the Covid outbreak despite regular demands by many countries. It even punished Australia through economic coercion for seeking an independent inquiry into the origin of Covid-19.
FBI director Christopher Wray has all along maintained that the coronavirus was most likely leaked from the Wuhan lab. The scientific study-supported report of the US Energy department now has just strengthened the lab leak possibility. This is adding to the already strained Sino-US relationship. US Senator Tom Cotton said “China’s lab leak, being proven right doesn’t matter. What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again.”
Even the US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns has demanded an answer from China. “China needed to be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the COVID-19 crisis,” he said. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked the Energy Department for bringing the reality of Covid origins out. “There was always enormous evidence that the Wuhan coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan lab,” he said.
Dr Anthony Fauci, who had earlier debunked the lab leak theory, later said he did not believe that the coronavirus was developed naturally. Responding to claims of the lab leak, Fauci said “That possibility certainly exists… I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened,” he said. Dr Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Beijing maintained studious silence for weeks even though the coronavirus started spreading like fire.
Australian investigative journalist Sharri Markson piled up evidence that showed the Communist Party government of China tried to cover the lab leak. Her investigative report revealed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s (WIH) virus database was taken offline on September 12, 2019, which coincided with 22,000 coronavirus samples getting vanished.
“That same day, security was beefed up at the facility and a tender was issued to replace the air-conditioning system,” she said in her investigative documentary.
Markson also highlighted that the WIH witnessed an unexplained communication blackout for two weeks. Another major piece of evidence reveals Chinese government bought a huge amount of coronavirus-detecting equipment; it tried to wipe this data from the internet but was somehow recovered by cyber security experts. Russian Genetic Engineer Yuri Deigin carried out an investigation and explained using genome engineering that a synthetic virus could have been created without traces of human manipulation. “It remains possible that the mysterious virus host was a lab,” he concluded.
Strong reactions are coming from politicians, academicians, and celebrities now. Author and former gymnast Jennifer Sey said every single thing about the lab leakage theories finally turned true. “Vindication is not enough. We need apologies. We need our lives back,” she said.7 While there are chances that China would not let the truth become official, demands are being made to continue the investigations.
China is already under pressure due to the mishandling of the Covid pandemic at home, coercive practices, and recent incidences of spy balloons. Against such a backdrop, the WHO seeking information on a possible lab leak adds to China’s troubles. WHO has made it clear that it would continue to investigate the origin of Covid pandemic.
“If any country has information about the origins of the pandemic, it’s essential for that information to be shared with WHO and the international scientific community,” said WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus. “WHO has not abandoned any plans to identify the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.”