American and global efforts in finding the origin of the 2020 pandemic are being blocked by the Chinese government while Republicans in Congress are pushing for a more comprehensive investigation.
The Chinese government is dodging efforts to find the origins of the virus. Both American and global officials are not accepted by the Chinese government, to the point that the World Health Organization (WHO) is ending much of its inquiry.
There is considerable concern that the COVID-19 virus was not of natural origin. Republicans in Congress commissioned a study on the origin and found that there is a strong possibility that it is tied to the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The early consensus during the pandemic was that the coronavirus was naturally created. One theory was that it was spread by the human consumption of a bat. Another theory was that it was caused by human contact with a pangolin.
However, more recent evidence points in other directions. In particular, evidence points to a credible chance that the virus escaped from the Wuhan laboratory.
There is now a new push in Congress to find the start of the virus. Leaders of the House Oversight Committee and the Subcommittee are pushing for a renewed search for information.
The chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) desires answers from both China and American officials. In particular, the members of the committee are seeking information from Anthony Fauci.
The efforts in the House follow concern about American funding of Chinese programs, including potential “gain of function” research. Some Republicans in Congress desire answers to why such programs used American tax money for Chinese biological research.
.@SenRandPaul: "The evidence suggests that this originated from a lab leak in Wuhan. Does that State Department fund Coronavirus research in China?
DEP. SEC. SHERMAN: "I don't know."
PAUL: "The answer is yes, you do. And it's been going on for more than a decade." pic.twitter.com/eOBTGG6pkE
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 9, 2023
Furthermore, conservative critics also focused on the role of Peter Daszak, who previously was involved in the aforementioned Wuhan research.
In 2022, Daszak received a new grant for virus research. Daszak received considerable attention for organizing a statement early in the pandemic attempting to disprove the idea that COVID-19 escaped from the Wuhan lab. Now, evidence is holding that the theory is at least credible.
