PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Coronavirus Likely ‘Escaped’ From Wuhan Lab, Ex-CDC Chief Claims

Coronavirus Likely ‘Escaped’ From Wuhan Lab, Ex-CDC Chief Claims

The WHO is due to release its report summarising the current findings on the origins of the highly-contagious COVID-19 coronavirus virus which has killed over 2,750,000 people around the world and infected and sickened another 125 million.

Robert Redfield, who led the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, believes that, based on the findings, the coronavirus “escaped” from a lab in Wuhan, in the Chinese province of Hubei, and began spreading much earlier than previously suspected, in September 2019, he told CNN in a clip televised on Friday.

“Other people don’t believe that. That’s fine. Science will eventually figure it out”, the former top health official under US President Donald Trump noted.

Redfield suggests posited that the virus’s strength and the way it spreads, easily and quickly, are cues of it having being developed in a laboratory. He noted that if it had originated from animals, as the most prominent theory goes, it would have taken a much greater amount of time for it to adapt to new hosts before effectively spreading between humans.

“It takes a while for it to figure out how to become more and more efficient in human-to-human transmission. I just don’t think this makes biological sense”.

When asked whether he believes the lab was going to great lengths to make the virus more efficient, Redfield shared his own lab experience, noting that perfectionism is typical in these matters:

“Let’s just say, I have a coronavirus, and I’m working on it -- most of us in the lab are trying to grow [the] virus,” he said. “We try to make it grow better and better and better and better, so we can do experiments and figure out about it. That’s the way I put it together”.

Redfield said he is “not implying any intentionality”, nor is he accusing Beijing of intentionally allowing the virus to escape the lab, which would otherwise be in line with Trump claims of the novel virus being a “China virus” or “Kung Flu”, a sobriquet deemed derogatory and offensive.

Beijing hit back at the time that the first the allegations arrived, declaring that it would never withhold any information, passing it instead on to the international community as soon as government officials verified and approved the data on the newly emerged coronavirus strain.

The roots of the virus remain unidentified officially, a continuing source of contention in the global research community.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to US President Joe Biden, previously worked alongside Redfield, and noted on Friday that the ex-official’s opinion is not shared by a majority of the top brass in US health services.

The World Health Organization, which earlier found no evidence that the virus spread before December 2019, is meanwhile expected to release a report on COVID-19 origins this month, informed by an extensive 17-strong scientific team.

All Eyes on Upcoming Report


There are to date four main theories, including that the highly-contagious virus came from a laboratory in Wuhan, but research by scientists indicates that the virus was most likely transferred to humans after spreading and adapting from bats to some intermediary species. It has not been made clear what this middle host is.

The Biden administration has concerns about a lack of transparency and data throughout the preparation of the report, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. She refused, though, to specify whether Biden sticks to a particular view on the likely origins of the virus, adding that the much-awaited report is due soon.

“They actually delayed the release of that report, which we were encouraged by. We’ll have to take a look at it and make sure we have access to the underlying information,” Psaki said, reiterating calls for an international investigation into the ongoing global pandemic.

The novel coronavirus, which prompted WHO to first declare a health emergency and then a pandemic, resulting in a significant percentage of the developed world going into lockdown, has to date caused over 2,750,000 deaths and over 125 million infections, according to data collated by the Johns Hopkins University.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×