Thread by @Ayjchan

Very happy to chat with @gbrumfiel on @NPR @NPRGoatsandSoda on the topic of the #OriginsOfCovid

Also glad to hear Dr Lipkin state that it’s possible this virus passed through a lab and accidentally leaked.

We need to launch a true investigation ASAP.

npr.org/sections/goats…

https://twitter.com/gbrumfiel/status/1398392780234366980

"Our lives depend on finding out how this virus got started so we can prevent another one from getting started 5 to 10 years from now."

Some might think I’m being dramatic but I don’t want to experience another outbreak like this, especially when I’m old.
npr.org/sections/goats…

The reason why I find it hard to make up a % likelihood for #OriginsOfCovid is because evidence can emerge & flip everything we know.

Eg what if tomorrow a whistleblower tells us they’ve been putting furin cleavage sites in natural SARS CoVs?

We are going to see U-turns.

Some people might wonder what the chances of that are. Whistleblowers don’t always show up immediately or when you want. It could be this year or decades later when anyone who could be held accountable is dead.

We’ve seen in so many other cases, the truth only outs years later.

Some scientists have already been shook by hearing that these novel SARS-like viruses with pandemic potential were being collected and worked with at BSL2 for years.

If a scientist today works with SARS2 at BSL2, I think they’d be sent home to reflect on their actions.

Today @nypost amplified reports from @taiwannews that WIV researchers had posted photos in the past showing that they handled bats with their bare hands and had reported bat bites.

nypost.com/2021/05/28/sci…

And it’s not a WIV specific problem. Read about @DavidQuammen’s experience virus hunting with @EcoHealthNYC as previously reported by @NPRGoatsandSoda

https://twitter.com/ayjchan/status/1337416884166283264

They were looking for SARS viruses too.

“Oddly enough, we were not wearing masks of any sort. We were not wearing what they called personal protective equipment, hazmat suits or anything. And I describe this in the book. I asked Alexis, why the hell are we not?”

In another case, a lab in the US started working with a MERS virus at BSL2 and the PI was put on one year probation.

These lapses are sometimes inexplicable. Why scientists forget the risks of the pathogens they’re working with.

I personally think it would be wiser for scientists not to insist that their biosafety practices and those of their colleagues (in other countries) are near bulletproof. In the event that this virus is found to be from a lab, that kind of messaging will come back to haunt us.

In the form of: “scientists were covering their own butts and lying about biosafety” or “scientists couldn’t accurately assess the risks of a lab escape and their biosafety practices are ineffective.”