1. SAGO INSISTS ON LAB LEAK INVESTIGATION!
To support biosafety and biosecurity investigations into the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the human
population through a laboratory incident; the SAGO notes that....
cdn.who.int/media/docs/def…
2. SAGO INSISTS ON
the need to access to & review evidence of all lab activities (both in vitro & in vivo studies) with coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2-related viruses or close ancestors & the lab’s approach to implementation & improvement of lab biosafety & biosecurity.
3. POLITE SAGO
"As it is not common practice to publish the institutional implementation of biosafety & biosecurity practices of individual labs in peer-reviewed scientific journals, additional information will need to be obtained and reviewed to make conclusive recommendations"
4. OBJECTIONS OVERULED
SAGO agreed (apart from 3 objections) that:
"it remains important to consider all scientific data available either through published or other official sources to evaluate the possibility of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2.. through a laboratory incident"
5. SAGO RECOMMENDS..
"Additional investigations should be carried out with the staff... in the laboratories working with SARS-like viruses in Wuhan and potentially with those located worldwide where early COVID-19 cases have been retrospectively detected before 2020"
6. SAGO, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER...
"This would provide an opportunity for more specific questions to be asked related to biosafety and biosecurity management of SARS-like virus studies at the individual laboratories"
As suggested quite some time ago:
researchgate.net/publication/35…
7. SAGO SUSPECTS SICK LAB WORKERS..
"This would provide an opportunity for staff and scientists to give their perspective on the
possibility of a laboratory incident and whether any occupational illnesses occurred before
the recognized start of the pandemic."
8. OH SAGO, WHAT A NICE SURPRISE!
"Examine regulatory biosafety or biocontainment standards and biocontainment levels and risk-mitigation strategies for SARS-like CoV-associated studies"
9. WAY TO GO, SAGO!
Determine occupational hazards intrinsic to labs working with SARS-like CoV & nature of studies performed before 1st reported COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, if they involved reverse engineering/GOF/ genetic manipulation/animal studies with strains of SARS-like CoV
10. SAGO's 1, 2,3
1.
Determine risks associated with field-related activities, such as the collection of specimens from bats or other wildlife sources and the potential for SARS-like CoV infection of staff.
11. SAGO's 1, 2,3
2.
Evaluate potential scenarios where a breakdown in biosafety or biosecurity procedures led to a possible laboratory-acquired infection with the studied pathogen.
12. SAGO's 1, 2,3
3. Determine if there were any biocontainment breaches or lab incidents or accidents with SARS-like coronaviruses in BSL2/3/4 labs that may have resulted in escape and/or infection of staff members prior to December 2019 where early cases were detected in China
13. SAGO PROPOSES
"Global engagement with scientists working on SARS-like viruses in bats to seek input on the molecular biology and evolution of these viruses and to identify potential biosafety issues"
14. SAGO ALSO PROPOSES...
15. SAGO INTEGRITY
Despite scurrilous attempts by Dr. Dedkov, Pasteur Institute Russia, Dr Morel, MOH, Brasil & Professor Yungui Yang, Beijing Institute of Genomics to delete mentions of a possible lab leak, it seems that SAGO acted with certain integrity in this investigation.
16. Dr. Dedkov's "DeadCov Position"
was summed up here in Xinhua in 2021:
Interview: Politicizing emergence of new viruses hinders scientific research: Russian expert
xinhuanet.com/english/europe…
17. “Give SAGO some room to do its work"
"All of the scientists joining this process understand the external pressures, scrutiny & visibility of the process. It may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus in a mutually responsible way”
science.org/content/articl…
18. Previous Threads on SAGO
What's up with @WHO SAGO? (January 2022)
19. Previous Threads on SAGO
The #DRASTIC Email Campaign that may have helped get rid of Public Enemy Koopmans from the SAGO Team
20. A debt of gratitude to Dr. Normand Labbe?
He was sent copies of three reports published on ResearchGate as soon as we became aware of his new role in SAGO
researchgate.net/publication/35…
and
researchgate.net/publication/35…
and
researchgate.net/publication/35…
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