Scientists at Wuhan Virology Lab Had CCP Virus-Like Sickness in Autumn 2019, State Department Says

Ivan Pentchoukov
By Ivan Pentchoukov
January 15, 2021COVID-19
share
Scientists at Wuhan Virology Lab Had CCP Virus-Like Sickness in Autumn 2019, State Department Says
This aerial view shows the P4 laboratory (C) on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on May 27, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill with symptoms similar to those caused by the CCP virus in the Autumn of 2019, contradicting claims by a senior researcher from the institute who said there were no infections among the staff scientists.

The revelation is part of a fact sheet released by the U.S. Department of State on Jan. 15 which slams the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for obsessive secrecy around the origin of the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control reported a cluster of pneumonia-like cases of unknown origin on Dec. 21, 2019. But months later, new evidence emerged suggesting that Chinese authorities were aware of the first CCP virus case on Nov. 17. The United States government wasn’t informed about the virus until Dec. 30 from Taiwan.

Little has been known about the first patients who caught the virus and the CCP has never admitted to a connection to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which is located not far from the seafood market which was initially believed to be the origin of the outbreak.

“The U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses,” the State Department fact sheet reads. “This raises questions about the credibility of WIV senior researcher Shi Zhengli’s public claim that there was ‘zero infection’ among the WIV’s staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses.”

The State Department pointed out that accidental viral outbreaks are not new in China, including the 2004 SARS outbreak in Beijing which originated in a lab. The department added that any meaningful investigation of the origins of the outbreak must include interviews with the researchers in the Wuhan lab who fell ill in the fall of 2019.

“The CCP has prevented independent journalists, investigators, and global health authorities from interviewing researchers at the WIV, including those who were ill in the fall of 2019. Any credible inquiry into the origin of the virus must include interviews with these researchers and a full accounting of their previously unreported illness,” the department said.

The State Department claims that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was conducting research on viruses similar to the CCP virus as early as 2016. The regime has been secretive about the research and the State Department is demanding transparency.

“WHO investigators must have access to the records of the WIV’s work on bat and other coronaviruses before the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of a thorough inquiry, they must have a full accounting of why the WIV altered and then removed online records of its work with RaTG13 and other viruses,” the department said.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology, despite claiming to be a civil institution, has worked on secret projects with the Chinese military, including classified animal experiments since at least early 2017, the United States has learned.

“The United States and other donors who funded or collaborated on civilian research at the WIV have a right and obligation to determine whether any of our research funding was diverted to secret Chinese military projects at the WIV,” the department said.

The Chinese communist regime took more than two months to alarm the world about the outbreak of the CCP virus. The regime knew about human-to-human transmission in late 2019 but did not inform the world until Jan. 20.

From The Epoch Times

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments