Top Chinese scientist says don’t rule out Covid lab leak

[Social Media]

The possibility the Covid virus leaked from a laboratory should not be ruled out, a former top Chinese government scientist has told BBC News.

As head of China's Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Prof George Gao played a key role in the pandemic response and efforts to trace its origins.

China's government dismisses any suggestion the disease may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

But Prof Gao is less forthright.

In an interview for the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin, Prof Gao says: "You can always suspect anything. That's science. Don't rule out anything."

A world-leading virologist and immunologist, Prof Gao is now vice-president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China after retiring from the CDC last year.

 

In a possible sign that the Chinese government may have taken the lab leak theory more seriously than its official statements suggest, Prof Gao also tells the BBC some kind of formal investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was carried out.

[HuskerDo2]

After the govt hears about what he said he will probably disappear forever. It's what happens when you speak out against the Chinese governments tainted messages/lies and give your honest opinion. 

[tgw]

the lab leak is a realistic possibility.

 

but this doesn't mean that the leaked virus has been manufactured. coronaviruses have a history of leaking easily from labs.

 

in leakage scenario it is actually much more probable that a naturally mutated virus could have leaked from a lab where it was being analyzed, because I would expect manufactured viruses to be handled in higher security labs.

 

viruses captured in the wild were routinely analyzed in level 2 biolabs. easy leak.

 

and Wuhan concentrates about 50% of China's available level 2 and 3 biolabs belonging to various universities and FDA / ministry of agriculture and other similar organizations.

 

also, it could have stemmed from another animal, not a bat. just before covid broke out, there had been massive outbreaks among minks. Wuhan would have been where veterinary samples would have been sent.

Edited May 30, 2023 by tgw

[Rimmer]

A post discussing moderation has been removed

[Mac Mickmanus]

If China is responsible for Covid , can the rest of the World sue China for damages caused by the virus ?

 (A serious post, so no laugh emojis, thanks )

[ezzra]

I will not be surprised to read soon that the esteemed Prof George Gao has met with unfortunate accident.

[rabas]

But then he adds "But where is the evidence?" video

 

Good God George! Only he would know. He was head of China's CDC when they deleted the entire 20,000 virus database from the WIV's website on Sept 12, 2019. If there was evidence, it was in there. September is also the best estimate of when the virus originated. [ref]

 

Entire Wuhan Institute virus database taken offline on 12 September 2019