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China’s former top COVID official says he can’t ‘rule out’ lab leak theory

WHO warns Covid still a threat
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China’s official responsible for managing the COVID situation in Beijing acknowledged that we can’t rule out the lab leak theory, BBC reported.

China’s COVID official Dr. George Fu Gao admits he shouldn’t rule out the lab leak theory

When questioned by the BBC about the prevailing theory concerning scientists in his own country, Dr. George Fu Gao, China’s equivalent of Dr. Anthony Fauci, stated the following: “You can always suspect anything. That’s science.”

“Don’t rule out anything,” he told the podcast “Fever: The Hunt for Covid’s Origin.”

According to the World Health Organization, the worldwide pandemic has claimed the lives of seven million individuals. The acknowledgment by the scientist, even if it lacks specificity, is remarkable considering the steadfast denial from Beijing regarding the potential of researchers at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology inadvertently releasing the virus during their study of related bat illnesses.

Initially, China dismissed the theory as a fabrication by anti-China entities, going as far as attributing the origins of the virus to the United States. However, for the first time, Gao acknowledged that the Chinese Communist Party actually took the theory seriously.

“The government organized something” to investigate, he said. “That lab was double-checked by the experts in the field.”

Gao, formerly in charge of China’s Centre for Disease Control, could only state that he had “heard” that the laboratory was declared safe, without disclosing the level of certainty he possesses.

“I think their conclusion is that they are following all the protocols. They haven’t found [any] wrongdoing,” he suggested.

Examining the lab-leak theory surrounding COVID-19 in Wuhan

The theory of a potential lab leak gained traction shortly after the emergence of the novel coronavirus in late 2019 in Wuhan, NY Post reported.

Shi Zhengli, the head researcher at the lab often referred to as “bat woman,” reportedly experienced concern when the mysterious and deadly illness initially spread in Wuhan. According to a collaborator named Wang Linfa, Shi worried that there might have been an unnoticed sample in her lab containing a virus that contaminated something and escaped.

However, Shi has since dismissed those fears, and Wang mentioned on a podcast that she firmly denies any possibility of concealing such an incident. Nevertheless, the lab-leak theory remains prominent among U.S. intelligence circles.

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Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor was a TV news producer for 5 and a half years. He is an experienced writer. Brendan covers Breaking News at Insider Paper.







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