- China had a gene sequence of COVID-19 weeks earlier than sharing it with the world, US lawmakers mentioned.
- The lawmakers say a Chinese language virologist submitted this gene sequence to a US database on December 28, 2019.
- This contradicts Beijing’s declare that it launched such data “promptly,” they mentioned.
China probably obtained COVID-19’s first identified gene sequence weeks earlier than publicly releasing it, opposite to Beijing’s declare that it instantly shared the knowledge, the US Home Vitality & Commerce Committee mentioned on Wednesday.
The delay is important as a result of it might have wasted time for the world to develop COVID-19 vaccines and coverings, inflicting pointless deaths, the committee mentioned.
The committee mentioned a Chinese language virologist, Lili Ren, submitted the pathogen’s gene sequence to the US database GenBank on December 28, 2019, the committee mentioned.
The database belongs to the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, of which Ren is a subgrantee underneath the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance.
Ren’s submission, nonetheless, was lacking some technical data, and the database employees requested her three days later to submit the extra particulars. If she did not supply these particulars, the sequence could be deleted, the employees mentioned, per the committee.
The US lawmakers added that Ren didn’t add the remainder of the required data to the database.
On January 10, 2020, about two weeks later, China launched a gene sequence of COVID-19 that was “practically equivalent” to Ren’s submission, the committee mentioned, citing the Division of Well being and Human Companies.
The committee mentioned this contradicted China’s repeated claims that it launched the gene sequence as quickly because it obtained the knowledge.
China’s embassy within the US in 2021 launched a press release attacking “US vicious slanders,” responding to dozens of allegations from US media and officers about Beijing’s dealing with of the virus.
“By upholding a scientific angle and following the legal guidelines of epidemiology, the Chinese language authorities promptly shared the virus genetic sequence and epidemic data with the World Well being Group and the worldwide group,” the assertion mentioned.
The Home committee mentioned this instance reveals that China has been forthcoming with sharing important medical data for preventing COVID-19.
“The numerous discovery additional underscores why we can’t belief any of the so-called information or information offered by the CCP and calls into severe query the legitimacy of any scientific theories based mostly on such data,” the investigating lawmakers wrote.
The committee additionally raised considerations that the NIH had obtained a COVID-19 gene sequence however “apparently had no concept.”
It additional criticized the Biden administration, NIH, and HHS, saying the knowledge on the sequence submitted by Ren was solely launched after it was subpoenaed.
The chairs of the Vitality & Commerce Committee and its Well being and Oversight & Investigations Subcommittees, which performed the investigation, are all Republican lawmakers. They’re Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia, and Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky.
The Chinese language embassy in Washington, DC, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
