A recent investigation has uncovered that US taxpayer money was used to conduct experiments involving coronaviruses from the Chinese lab suspected to be the origin of the Covid pandemic.
This research was conducted over a year before the global outbreak, shedding light on the ties between the US government and the Wuhan lab, as well as the funding of potentially dangerous virus research worldwide.
Under the leadership of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) carried out an experiment in 2018, infecting 12 Egyptian fruit bats with a ‘SARS-like' virus known as WIV1 at a lab in Montana. The WIV1-coronavirus had been shipped from the Wuhan lab believed to be linked to the Covid pandemic and was tested on bats obtained from a Maryland zoo.
The findings of the research, which were recently revealed by the campaign group DRASTIC, concluded that the novel virus could not cause a ‘robust infection.' This experiment adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the connection between the US government and the Wuhan lab, as well as the support for potentially risky virus research on a global scale.
The study, titled “SARS-Like Coronavirus WIV1-CoV Does Not Replicate in Egyptian Fruit Bats,” was published in the journal Viruses in 2018. The White Coat Waste Project, a watchdog group dedicated to preventing the allocation of American tax dollars for dangerous virus research overseas, is now using the Freedom of Information Act to seek further details about this experiment.
The experiment took place at the NIH's Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, under the oversight of Dr. Fauci, the former director of National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This collaborative effort involved both the NIH's Rocky Mountain Laboratories and Ralph Baric from the University of North Carolina, a collaborator of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Scientists acquired 12 Egyptian fruit bats from a Maryland zoo and administered the WIV1-coronavirus. They conducted daily examinations, measuring parameters such as body weight and temperature, and collected samples from the bats' noses and throats. After three, seven, and 28 days, four of the bats were euthanized for further analysis. The results showed limited evidence of virus replication, indicating that the WIV1-coronavirus did not cause a robust infection.
It is worth noting that the bats were sourced from a Maryland zoo with a history of animal welfare violations, raising ethical concerns about the experiment. Despite the lack of transmission in the bats in 2018, similar risky research on viruses with pandemic potential has been ongoing worldwide for years.
While there is ongoing debate about the origins of the pandemic, the lab-leak theory, suggesting a potential accidental release from a lab in China, is now supported by the FBI and other government agencies. This revelation underscores the need for continued scrutiny and transparency in virus research to prevent future outbreaks and protect public health.
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