- The Associated Press has reported that political and scientific infighting, as well as a pattern of responsibility avoidance, have stalled efforts to trace the origins of COVID in China since at least Jan. 6, 2020. Associated Press (a) (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- The AP's investigation analyzed undisclosed emails and documents, leaked recordings, and dozens of interviews that suggest that scientists who published papers on the coronavirus ran into conflict with Chinese authorities. Associated Press (b) (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Previously, US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra had said that COVID's origins can only be known if the PRC becomes more transparent. This prompted the Chinese Embassy (in the US) to stress cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO). Semafor
- Last year, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had urged Beijing to give full access to information on the still-unclear genesis of the coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Financial Times
- Meanwhile, the US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has subpoenaed Dr. David Morens, a former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, for potential private exchanges about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2. New York Post (LR: 5 CP: 5)
- While most federal intelligence agencies link COVID's origin to "natural exposure to an infected animal," the FBI and Department of Energy claim that a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the "most likely" cause. Forbes (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Whether SARS-CoV-2 accidentally leaked from the Wuhan lab or evolved naturally from an existing virus and spread from wild animals to humans at a seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, there's no reason for China not to cooperate with the international community to understand how the virus came about. This discovery may help prevent pandemics in the future.
DW.COM
Establishment-critical narrative:
- It is convenient for the West to take a 180-degree turn regarding China and the coronavirus pandemic's origins, from vindication to blame, now that tensions are mounting between Beijing and Washington. Evidence of a lab leak makes it clear that America is as responsible as the PRC for both the virus's creation and the subsequent cover-up of its origins.
THE GATEWAY PUNDIT
Nerd narrative:
- There's an 8% chance that a majority of US Intelligence Community organizations will support a lab leak hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 over a natural origin hypothesis by 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)