Whether it naturally sprang from animals at a Chinese wet market or was a deliberately engineered virus that leaked from a lab remains to this day a question shrouded in mystery, providing fertile ground for conspiracy theories.

In a surprise move, the new chief scientist at the World Health Organization backed a fact-finding mission to China despite his own doubts that COVID-19 escaped from an institute for virology in Wuhan.

In the FT interview, Farrar said he would be in favor of a fresh investigation into the origin of a microscopic virus that wreaked untold economic damage, brought the health system to the brink of collapse, and cost millions of lives around the world.

The WHO previously dispatched a team to investigate the origins, but the results published in early 2021 were tainted in the eyes of many as Beijing insisted in a joint effort that undermined confidence.

The study only served to confirm criticisms repeatedly leveled at the United Nations public health body and its top official, Tedros Ghebreyesus, that it bent over backwards to accommodate the Chinese regime.

In testimony presented before Congress last month, the lead author on a controversial “proximal origin” study rejected allegations from Republican lawmakers that he was unduly influenced by either Fauci or Farrar, then still the director of Wellcome Trust.

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[–] Blamemeta@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I still don't get how the wet market theory is less racist than the escaped from a lab theory.

[–] mim@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Because one can be pinned down to government involvement, while the other can't.

It's the classic CCP defense: "We're not an authoritarian country, you're just racist!".

EDIT: not saying that it was or wasn't a lab leak, but as soon as the government shoots down the possibility with "you're racist", I immediately get suspicious. The same way that I get suspicious when Israel shoots down criticism with "you're just anti-Semitic". It's basically gaslighting with identity politics.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

It was never the theory that was racist, it was the amount of evidence behind it.

If "there's a virology lab there" was all the evidence you needed to assert it was a lab leak, chances are it's because you're racist. That's why early on, this theory was most popular with far-right reactionaries.

Meanwhile, what's been the origin story of every similar virus? Animal trade. That's why early on, this theory was most popular with actual scientists who were actually qualified to have an opinion.