Share this page!

Alina Chan Profile picture
Twitter logo
17 Nov, 4 tweets, 2 min read
I’d actually like to know what the result would be if scientists were anonymously surveyed about their opinion of how Covid-19 / SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan.
We know from a June 2021 poll that most Americans, democrat or republican, believe SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab. An even greater portion of Americans want the #OriginOfCovid to be investigated.

This issue is a surprising unifier.
politico.com/news/2021/07/0…
My prediction is that those who claim that a natural #OriginOfCovid is almost certain might find themselves in a very tiny minority, even among scientists.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Alina Chan

Alina Chan Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Ayjchan

Alina Chan Profile picture
18 Nov
This is like trying to guess the shape of an iceberg when you can only see what's above the surface.

Where are the November case data? We know that by December there had been a superspreader event at the seafood market and cases numbered in the hundreds.
nytimes.com/2021/11/18/hea…
How is it possible that basic contact tracing wasn't done?

China showed us again and again throughout the pandemic how fast and effectively they could contact trace the h*ll out of any new Covid-19 case. Most recently locking down an entire Disneyland.
The @WHO spokesperson even said the errors in the China-WHO joint report on #OriginOfCovid were not important because “the current first known patient is most probably not the first case.”
washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…
Read 15 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
18 Nov
To the folks saying (or hoping) “don’t worry, I’m sure labs around the world are conducting research more safely now.”

Where is the evidence of this happening? How do we know that people approving and conducting risky experiments have turned over a new leaf?
See this letter to Congress by dozens of US scientific orgs:

“We urge you to reject attempts to impose restrictions on federally funded research or the operations of federal science agencies based on premature conclusions about how the pandemic emerged.”

asm.org/Articles/Polic…
There’s no new moratorium, no new framework, no new review process for risky pathogen research.
Read 8 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
17 Nov
The most important questions (and books) tend to offend a large section of society.

Did Covid-19 come from a lab? #OriginOfCovid

I never imagined I would one day co-write a book that would upset and threaten so many scientists and science journalists.

amzn.to/3m85kDl
We @mattwridley would not be surprised if this book makes us unwelcome in some countries.

Our book lays bare the type of pathogen research that was ongoing prior to the pandemic, the frequency and risks of lab leaks, and a case for both natural and lab #OriginOfCovid scenarios.
Rescuing the lab origin hypothesis from being condemned by experts as a conspiracy theory demanded the ingenuity and determination of numerous scientists, journalists and sleuths whose stories are described in our book.
Read 4 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
17 Nov
Easy steps for scientists to take before amplifying something they heard from another scientist:

1. Is there data to support this claim?

2. Is the data accessible and verifiable?

3. Who provided the data? Are there competing interests?
If the answer to (1) is no, i.e., there is no data to support this claim, then...

Do not amplify or even try to massage the statement, no matter who said it.
If the answer to (2) is no, i.e., the data cannot be accessed or verified, then...

Do not re-package/beautify the findings or figures made from non-accessible data.

Do not persuade people to believe in the integrity of data they can't access.
Read 5 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
12 Nov
On changing my name.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done on #OriginOfCovid someone had to do it

I’ve been warned by friends & family that I’ve ended my career or can’t travel safely under my real name any more.

I’m just going to put it out here that I don’t have a plan for myself.
I know this really fascinates journalists. And it’s going to be a main feature of profiles about me regardless of how much I ask journalists to just report about #OriginOfCovid instead of my personal story.
I wish more scientists could ask whether this pandemic began because of research activities, without fearing for their careers and whether they could ever go home and see their families.
Read 6 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
12 Nov
People are asking what is going on with the #PangolinPapers

tldr multiple groups of scientists published non-reproducible papers on a pangolin virus that caused a media frenzy over pangolins as an intermediate host of SARS2 in 2020.

Instead of retracting the papers...
... the journals gave each team of scientists a year or more to gather data that actually supported their findings, which were meanwhile cited and incorporated across hundreds of studies.

The resulting massive corrections reveal at best highly negligent scientific conduct.
If authors are not penalized for this type of behavior, does it mean that our top journals are now permitting scientists to submit papers with whatever results they like, and only if they get called out by other scientists, then they are given a year to gather actual data?
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @Ayjchan has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @Ayjchan!

Read all threads by @Ayjchan

:(