Disclaimer from the editor: This article was written from a journalistic and scientific standpoint, with input from a trained immunologist. While politics provide insight, there is no specific political influence on the contents of the article.
A press release has been resurfacing online from Donald Trump and his administration, stating that COVID-19 was a man-made virus.
“LAB LEAK: the True Origins of Covid-19” describes the evidence the administration has collected to accuse China of orchestrating the coronavirus pandemic.
The lab leak theory claims that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) was created in a lab in Wuhan, China. The article, published on the White House government website, creates five key points of reference as to why they believe this lab leak theory.
Dr. Jonathan Joyce, assistant professor in biology and adjunct lecturer in public health, has input into these five claims. Dr. Joyce spent his PhD studying SARS-CoV-2. He states that there is truth in the information the White House is releasing, but it is combined with misinformation and intent to “target scientists and scientific organizations,” Dr. Joyce says.
The first claim made from this theory is that SARS-CoV-2 “possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature”. Second, the theory claims that the contraction of SARS-CoV-2 stemmed from a single introduction.. Joyce explains they got this information from an article published by Alina Chan of MIT, which has been highly debated by molecular biologists and virologists around the globe. NPR states that Chan’s research is important, and that the globe must keep an open mind until concrete scientific evidence is revealed.
The third assertion creates a link between the virus outbreak and the fact that a SARS research lab is located in Wuhan. Joyce critiques this claim, stating that Wuhan was not the only location in China that studied coronaviruses, that there were three more in larger cities.
He states, “Had these infections been detected in Blacksburg, you could blame Virginia Tech. Had an outbreak been detected in Atlanta, you could blame the CDC. This exact same coincidence argument could be used, weakening its overall usefulness as an explanation”.
China also has a fortified public health system since an outbreak of SARS-CoV-1 in 2002-2004. During this virus, they did not shut down food markets, or take adequate precautions. Learning from their mistakes, they created a new system for disease detection and prevention. Joyce explains that the emergence of a virus from China is “not proof of a lab leak, but rather proof that a properly built public health system can detect a novel virus”.
Fourth, they claim that the Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers had COVID-like symptoms before the virus was discovered.
Lastly, the theory states that if there was evidence of a natural origin for the virus, it would have been discovered already. Joyce refutes this, saying that while they have evidence of biological similarities in viruses found in other animals. He states that this claim is an unfair assessment of how long it takes immunologists and epidemiologists to trace and decode a virus. The origins of SARS-CoV-1 took over four years to biologically decode, and HIV took over 20 years. However, it is important to consider increased technology and focus on public health.
The article also criticized public health officials and their response to the pandemic. Brad Wenstrup and his Congressional Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic wrote a 557 page document discussing the failures of the response. These critics were not only directed at the response of academics and scientists, but also at the Biden-Harris Administration and their part in the pandemic.
The report and the White House article claims that masks and social distancing were ineffective and not based on science. Joyce states that masks were proven effective in preventing transmission, if properly used. While he agrees that social distancing was not as effective as public health officials thought, Joyce argues this was originally based on science, but changed as we found out more about SARS-CoV-2. Social distancing was thought to work because of the science of droplet transmission, but it later was found the virus could be transmitted easier than that.
The article also asserts that lockdown laws caused more harm than good, referring to the increase in mental health issues. The World Health Organization reported that there was a 25% increase in anxiety and depression during the global pandemic, making this a valid and important concern.
Dr. Joyce stresses the importance of recognizing both truth and deception in scientific writing, and how crucial that skill will be for emerging diseases and future pandemics.
Kara Hopkins
News Editor
