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| Photo: Reuters / STRINGER |
China continues to struggle with lab safety after spending billions of dollars on lab construction and genetic engineering research, an investigation by the Washington Post has revealed.
Multiple investigations by U.S. and international scientists and lawmakers into the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan and the brucellosis outbreak that stemmed from a Lanzhou lab suggested that the vulnerabilities of China's laboratories that allowed deadly pathogens to escape in the past could lead to another pandemic in the future, the Washington Post reported.
Chinese government reports as well as statements by Western and Chinese officials and scientists familiar with China's laboratories revealed that the facilities are beset with equipment problems and insufficient safety training, according to the publication.
Several official statements and inspection reports obtained by The Post pointed to China's "systemic failures" in the implementation of safety standards in its laboratories that would prevent the leaks of deadly bacteria and viruses.
These issues "in some cases resulted in lab animals being illegally sold after being used in experiments, and contaminated lab waste being flushed into sewers," the report said.
Experts said that officials setting demanding goals for labs while covering up accidents and shortcomings only exacerbated the problems.
Beijing began constructing new labs and modernizing its biomedical institutions after severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a coronavirus, was first detected in China's southeastern Guangdong province more than 20 years ago and eventually killed about 800 people worldwide. Two Beijing workers had separately contracted the virus while working in a lab and spread it to seven others, one of whom died. --->READ MORE HERE
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| AP Photo/Andy Wong |
The former head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that there is no evidence COVID-19 came from an animal and jumped to humans.
"Even now, people think some animals are the host or reservoir," George Gao said at a summit in London. "Cut a long story short, there is no evidence which animals (were) where the virus comes (from)."
Gao served as head of China’s CDC at the end of 2019, when the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, .China
The World Health Organization has said that all hypotheses for the origins of COVID-19 remain on the table, including that the virus is linked to a high-security laboratory for the study of dangerous pathogens in Wuhan.
Several government agencies in the United States, including the FBI, have concluded that the lab leak theory is the "most likely" origin of the virus.
China, which has been criticized for its unwillingness to share information and help investigate the origin of the virus, has dismissed the lab leak theory. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
China’s top doc George Fu Gao ‘not optimistic’ COVID origins will ever be revealed: report
There’s new light — and lingering questions — in the mystery of Wuhan
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
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