|
For nearly five years, the world has been consistently misled about the origins of COVID-19. While definitive answers regarding the virus's genesis remain elusive, mounting evidence suggests a link to gain-of-function research conducted in Wuhan that was partially funded by NIH grants and the Chinese Communist Party
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic recently held a pivotal hearing featuring Dr. Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit whose stated mission is safeguarding wildlife and public health from the emergence of disease. For years leading up to the global COVID-19 pandemic, EcoHealth had been facilitating gain-of-function research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
During this critical hearing, Dr. Daszak's responses raised eyebrows. Despite his confidence, his assertions lacked credibility. He defended the gain-of-function research, arguing it was okay because it focused on animals rather than humans—an ironic stance for the head of an organization purportedly dedicated to wildlife and public health protection.
I, much like many of my colleagues, wasn’t buying what Dr. Daszak was selling, so let’s dive deeper into this.
In 2016, EcoHealth emailed the NIH saying that they planned to make chimeric MERS and SARS viruses in year 3 of their 5-year coronavirus bat grant. It was later revealed that no research on MERS had been conducted. Instead, EcoHealth spent the year conducting what the NIH labeled as “risky research” and in doing so, violated NIH grant terms and conditions. Nevertheless, once the COVID-19 Pandemic had begun, the NIH was quick to defend EcoHealth and even asserted that they could not have started or contributed to the pandemic. They based this conclusion on studies conducted by the Chinese Communist Party and the NIH itself.
In 2020, the Trump Administration suspended EcoHealth's NIH grants upon recognizing serious concerns with their work. Just 3-years later, the Biden Administration reinstated those grants, allowing EcoHealth to resume bat coronavirus testing in China.
The sequence of events raises significant concerns about transparency, accountability, and potential culpability in the origins of COVID-19. How much did the NIH know about EcoHealth’s research to amplify transmission and pathogenicity of bat viruses? Why was the NIH so quick to dismiss the lab leak theory despite not having enough credible evidence to prove otherwise? Why did the Biden Administration reinstate the grants before definitively knowing if EcoHealth had a role in creating COVID-19?
The world deserves to know the truth. On June 3, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and lead member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will be testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
House Republicans look forward to questioning Dr. Fauci and getting answers for the American people about the origins of COVID-19 and the NIH’s involvement in EcoHealth’s gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
| 
