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Alina Chan Profile picture
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Jan 22 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
Although a formal #OriginOfCovid investigation has yet to happen, it's good to reflect that scientific progress has been made.

1 year ago, experts were comparing me to QAnon and calling a lab accident, concealed to hide incompetence, a conspiracy theory.
nature.com/articles/s4159… Image
The hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 might have been genetically engineered was breathlessly compared to the US insurrection.

Afaik there has yet to be any evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was not genetically engineered...
On the other hand, we saw a deluge of documents released in late 2021 pointing to gain of function research + a 2018 roadmap for inserting novel cleavage sites into novel SARS-like viruses (this genetic engineering could've produced SARS-CoV-2). theintercept.com/2021/09/23/cor…
The evidence in these documents for a plausible lab #OriginOfCovid was undeniable.

Even experts who had labeled a lab accident origin a conspiracy theory disavowed the EcoHealth Alliance for withholding these documents.
Although it is depressing how slowly things are moving & many have given up on finding the #OriginOfCovid (or don't know why it's important)..

I'm hopeful that if we keep sleuthing and keep pushing for a credible investigation, much more progress will be made in one year's time.
If a hypothesis that was widely denigrated by outspoken experts as a conspiracy theory can, in less than one year's time, become the favored hypothesis regardless of one's political identity or education level..

Who knows wth could happen this year?

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More from @Ayjchan

Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 24
The @WHO 2021 #OriginOfCovid study was not scientific. We don't need a repeat.

"Chinese counterpart eventually agreed to discuss the lab-leak theory in the report “on the condition we didn’t recommend any specific studies to further that hypothesis.”"
washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/…
@WHO Troublingly, 5 out of 10 @WHO-convened international members of the 2021 team that signed off on the unscientific report is on the new SAGO team.
who.int/groups/scienti…
Countries cannot expect the @WHO SAGO effort to be a credible and thorough investigation of the #OriginOfCovid

Each country that cares about not having a pandemic happen again in the near future should initiate their own investigations free of competing interests.
Read 17 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 24
Many people ask, what is the direct evidence for a lab #OriginOfCovid

If anyone had produced direct evidence of a lab or a natural origin, do you think we'd still be arguing about it 2 years later?

We need an investigation because we need to search for this direct evidence.
What can be said is that a natural #OriginOfCovid has been investigated much more thoroughly than a lab origin, at least publicly.

And the 2-year search for an intermediate host or original animal source of SARS-CoV-2 has found not a shred of direct evidence for a market origin.
.@TheLancet @richardhorton1 writes: "Proponents of a laboratory leak have so far provided no evidence to undermine this [Huanan market origin] explanation."

He might be unaware that even pro-natural origin investigators have failed to find evidence...
thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Read 7 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 23
Because when everything you've done is above board, your legally FOIA'ed emails are massively redacted and the lead author of the Proximal Origin letter suddenly had ~5,000 of his tweets "auto-delete".
thetimes.co.uk/article/spectr…
And when you're not trying to cover up anything, you need to confer with the unacknowledged contributors to the paper as to how to explain the origin of Proximal Origin to journalists.
And when you're following the science, you need to stack the @WHO #OriginOfCovid group with your friends and put pressure on the group.
Read 4 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 22
An interview I did with @NathanJRobinson @curaffairs
"we have to start taking into account new risks & new sources of outbreaks. To not take steps to address this.. would be to put millions of lives at risk.. the old risks are real & so are the new risks"
currentaffairs.org/2022/01/how-di…
@NathanJRobinson @curaffairs On the gain of function debate, @NathanJRobinson pointed out that "someone’s gonna be proven right, and someone’s gonna be proven wrong... it’s the argument that some people have been making half their lives. So it’s all wrapped up in their identity."
I believe the above is the reason why, even though we can all broadly agree that the Covid-19 pandemic might've started due to a lab accident, so few public measures have been taken to make pathogen research more transparent or safe.
Read 6 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 19
Proximal Origin failed to acknowledge experts who convened its authors, made natural #OriginOfCovid arguments on Feb 1 call, and/or provided input on the work.

@Akselfrids asked @NatureMedicine if they were considering an addendum to Proximal Origin...
minervanett.no/politikk-begra…
"We do not at this time intend to come up with an addendum to the article... The journal is still open to assess a diversity of views on any issue... the publication of new solid research which, according to expert assessment, can help us understand the origin of the virus."
How many manuscripts arguing that a lab #OriginOfCovid is plausible has @NatureMedicine received and sent for peer review? May we at least have numbers of submissions, peer reviews, and rejections if the peer reviews themselves cannot be made public?
Read 10 tweets
Alina Chan Profile picture
Jan 19
"The entire clause that suggested that the WHO should have speedy access to disease outbreak sites has been removed – at the insistence of China"

In other words, let's repeat the devastating mistakes made this time round when the next pandemic occurs.
healthpolicy-watch.news/report-on-pand…
Countries that refuse to admit independent international investigators when an outbreak has been detected are putting the entire world at risk for another pandemic.

This is dangerously irresponsible, anti-scientific, and not a sign of technological or moral leadership.
We should not have a repeat of this:
Read 5 tweets

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