seacoaster wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 7:41 am
I don't have access to the Times right now, but here is the Post's version:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2 ... pdates-us/
"Americans received welcome news on Thursday that the federal government was significantly relaxing its recommendations on mask use for vaccinated individuals, signaling the end of the coronavirus pandemic is in sight. But a group of 18 scientists from leading international research institutions is now calling for a “proper investigation” into the origins of the pandemic — and the possibility of a laboratory incident triggering the global health crisis.
In a letter published in the latest edition of the journal Science, the researchers say the findings of a joint investigation by the World Health Organization and China released in March are not sufficiently conclusive. That study, based on data collected by Chinese researchers, found that it was “extremely unlikely” that the virus leaked from a lab. But the 18 scientists say that the possibility must be taken seriously.
The origins of the coronavirus have been hotly contested, with the former Trump administration speculating without evidence that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab; China has also spread baseless claims that the U.S. Army created the virus."
Here is the letter in Science Magazine:
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/694.1
"On 30 December 2019, the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases notified the world about a pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China (1). Since then, scientists have made remarkable progress in understanding the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), its transmission, pathogenesis, and mitigation by vaccines, therapeutics, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. Yet more investigation is still needed to determine the origin of the pandemic. Theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable. Knowing how COVID-19 emerged is critical for informing global strategies to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks.
In May 2020, the World Health Assembly requested that the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general work closely with partners to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2 (2). In November, the Terms of Reference for a China–WHO joint study were released (3). The information, data, and samples for the study's first phase were collected and summarized by the Chinese half of the team; the rest of the team built on this analysis. Although there were no findings in clear support of either a natural spillover or a lab accident, the team assessed a zoonotic spillover from an intermediate host as “likely to very likely,” and a laboratory incident as “extremely unlikely” [(4), p. 9]. Furthermore, the two theories were not given balanced consideration. Only 4 of the 313 pages of the report and its annexes addressed the possibility of a laboratory accident (4). Notably, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus commented that the report's consideration of evidence supporting a laboratory accident was insufficient and offered to provide additional resources to fully evaluate the possibility (5).
As scientists with relevant expertise, we agree with the WHO director-general (5), the United States and 13 other countries (6), and the European Union (7) that greater clarity about the origins of this pandemic is necessary and feasible to achieve. We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data. A proper investigation should be transparent, objective, data-driven, inclusive of broad expertise, subject to independent oversight, and responsibly managed to minimize the impact of conflicts of interest. Public health agencies and research laboratories alike need to open their records to the public. Investigators should document the veracity and provenance of data from which analyses are conducted and conclusions drawn, so that analyses are reproducible by independent experts."
no worries, your last 3 posts were all directed at taking a snipe at me, but hey, you limited this one to just two laughing emojis, not 4 or 5, and no shouting all caps...And a whole string of posts talking lax and not directed at me..That's "trying". Thanks.
