Why in news
A U.S. Congressional committee led by Brad Wenstrup concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely resulted from a virus leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
The 500+ page report aims to guide future pandemic responses with a focus on an unbiased, whole-of-America approach.
The Lab-Leak Theory
The report supports the lab-leak theory based on circumstantial evidence and early claims, including:
U.S. government reports from January 2021 suggested that researchers at WIV had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 before the first known outbreak in Wuhan.
Alina Chan, a molecular biologist, stated that WIV was studying SARS-like viruses and suggested the virus might have originated there.
The report doesn't directly prove the lab leak but presents evidence supporting it as a possibility.
Virus Characteristics & Scientific Debate
The report highlighted the presence of a furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2, which is unique to this virus and not found in other known coronaviruses.
Nicholas Wade (former science editor) argued that this site is unlikely to have evolved naturally, suggesting possible genetic engineering.
However, a 2023 study in The Lancet refuted this claim, arguing the site could have evolved naturally.
U.S. Funding of Research
The report claims that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded gain-of-function research at WIV, where viruses are genetically modified to study their behavior, including enhanced transmissibility or infectivity.
This research could have increased the risk of accidental release.
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