Thread by @Ayjchan

Even if you’re convinced that SARS2 emerged completely naturally, it is in your interest that a credible and balanced investigative #OriginOfCovid team is established.

If an imbalanced team is set up, it’s not going to convince people on the other side.
cbc.ca/news/health/wh…

Where I’m sitting, I see people tweeting that it’s obvious the virus came from a lab / nature. There are people on each side that are equally convinced that “everyone knows” where this virus came from.

We need a balanced #OriginOfCovid investigation that both sides can trust.

I told @markgollom @CBCNews “Most of the international experts convened on the highly criticized initial joint study with China are back on SAGO. It will now be difficult to convince people that the new SAGO will be much different from the original joint study group.”

@markgollom @CBCNews One of the SAGO members said in Feb 2020:

"We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin."
thelancet.com/journals/lance…

Another one presented this slide in Dec 2020, h/t @gdemaneuf

@gdemaneuf If @WHO insists on appointing SAGO experts who consider the lab leak hypothesis a conspiracy theory, you'll have to also appoint experts who consider a natural spillover a conspiracy theory to balance out these extremist views.