Did covid-19 come from a lab leak in China?
BMJ 2023; 382 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p1556 (Published 10 July 2023) Cite this as: BMJ 2023;382:p1556
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Dear Editor
Mun-Keat Looi’s article “Did COVID-19 come from a lab leak in China?”[1] contains important errors regarding the work of EcoHealth Alliance (EHA), that we are writing to correct.
Firstly, the article cites comments from a recent GAO report that are clearly stated as ‘according to NIH’. In fact, EcoHealth Alliance strongly refuted that this work ‘exceeded the safety threshold’ or that it ‘did not properly notify NIH in a timely manner’ to the GAO, to NIH, and publicly. It is surprising that BMJ neither included our published responses nor reached out to EHA for comment.
The GAO cited the NIH Deputy Principal Director’s allegation that “EcoHealth Alliance violated an award condition when it failed to immediately report experimental results to NIH showing that laboratory mice became sicker from one of the bat coronaviruses under experiment at WIV.” In fact, EcoHealth Alliance did not violate award conditions. EcoHealth Alliance reported the results of this experiment on time, in April 2018, and conducted no further experiments on these viruses, which were bat coronaviruses that have never been shown to infect people. Any suggestion that this experiment could have been involved in the origin of COVID-19 was publicly refuted by then-NIH Director Francis Collins on October 20, 2021: “NIH wants to set the record straight on NIH-supported research…. Analysis of published genomic data and other documents from the grantee demonstrate that the naturally occurring bat coronaviruses studied under the NIH grant are genetically far distant from SARS-CoV-2 and could not possibly have caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Any claims to the contrary are demonstrably false.” (https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/stateme...).
On the allegation this research exceeded a safety threshold, there was no direct evidence of significantly enhanced viral growth in this experiment. The measures were of viral genome copies/gram, not biologically-relevant viral titers, and would include dead virus, or fragments of viral genomes resulting from inactive virus production. The increase in viral genome copies/gram was transient, found only at days 2 and 4 post infection, and returned to the backbone virus (WIV-1) level by the experiment’s end. NIH did not comment on EHA’s report at the time, suggesting they did not consider this an issue. It was only more than two years later, in hindsight, that NIH raised questions about this experiment. NIH also contended that EcoHealth Alliance “notified the NIH of the experimental results in August 2021”. This is not correct. EcoHealth Alliance first reported the findings in the Year 4 report submitted on time in April 2018. The Year 5 report, with follow up analyses of that same experiment, was uploaded into the NIH system on time, then locked out from full submission by NIH, who did not respond to requests to correct this. Additionally, the results of the experiments were shared with NIH in the “preliminary data” section of a renewal proposal submitted in November 2018.
Finally, counter to the BMJ article’s reporting, The Lancet did not launch an ‘inquiry into the origins of COVID-19’ and this was not shut down because of ‘conflicts of interest with EcoHealth Alliance’. I was invited to be a commissioner in full knowledge of any potential competing interests and to lead this task force on “The origins and spread of COVID-19, and one health solutions to future pandemics.” The task force was later closed unilaterally by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the Commission chair, despite all members threatening to resign if EcoHealth Alliance’s involvement was ended, and following serious allegations of ‘improper management by Dr. Sachs’ [2]. In the end, the task force continued its work as an independent group and published a peer-reviewed report of their findings in October 2022 [3].
1. Looi M-K. Did covid-19 come from a lab leak in China? BMJ 2023;382:p1556. doi: 10.1136/bmj.p1556
2. Cohen J. What tore apart The Lancet’s COVID-19 origin probe? Science 2021;374(6566):387-88.
3. Keusch GT, Amuasi JH, Anderson DE, et al. Pandemic origins and a One Health approach to preparedness and prevention: Solutions based on SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2022;119(42):e2202871119. doi: doi:10.1073/pnas.2202871119
Competing interests: I'm responding to allegations that are directed at research I oversee.
COVID-19 Pandemic, still unresolved uncertainties and unsettled ‘COVID-19 Origins’: Reaffirming the imperative for a ‘Triple-A Process Approach’ to addressing the pandemic in spite of recent WHO pronouncements
Dear Editor
It has become necessary to, once again, highlight the ‘Evolving Unresolved Uncertainties’ encapsulating the ‘Unprecedented Devastating 21st Century Scourge’: ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’. The ‘Enlarging Unresolved Uncertainties’ have been emphasized in several previous ‘Communications’ by this Author.[1-20] Another ‘Communication’ also disposed this ‘Bothersome Unresolved Uncertainty-denominated Pattern’ of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’.[21] These ‘Uncertainties’ have ‘Signposted’ a ‘Rainbow of Possibilities’ in the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Terrain’ viz: ‘Origin of COVID-19’, ‘Nomenclature of COVID-19’, ‘Manifestations of COVID-19’, ‘Mode of Transmission of COVID-19’, ‘Vulnerabilities and Susceptibilities in COVID-19’, ‘Immunity and Antibodies Conversational Controversies in COVID-19’, ‘Face-masks Use in COVID-19’, ‘Global COVID-19 Pandemic Interventional Control Measures and Epidemic Curve Dynamics’, ‘COVID-19 Vaccines Conversational Unresolved Issues’, ‘A Rainbow of Unresolved ‘2nd Dose Uncertainties’ in COVID-19 Vaccination Programmes’, ‘What constitutes Full COVID-19 Vaccination’, ‘COVID-19 Vaccines Boosters Controversies’, ‘Evolving COVID-19 Chameleonic Manifestations’ among several others.
It is, therefore, quite intriguing for a recent ‘Communication’[22] to unearth and revisit the ‘COVID-19 Origins Controversies’. Over three years after the ‘Onset of COVID-19’, THE ‘covid-19 Origins Controversy’ is ‘Back in the News’.[22] Up in the air, once again, is the ‘Laboratory Leak Theory’ versus the ‘Natural Animal to Human Transmission in the Wet Wuhan Market in China’. The reported ‘Laboratory Leak Theory’ explores the ‘Accidental Possibilities’ and the ‘Deliberate Bioterrorism Possibilities’.[23,24]
Several ‘Media Reports and Commentaries’ and ‘Government Outfits’ reportedly have made efforts to unearth and shed more ‘Facts-Finding Searchlights’ on the ‘COVID-19 Origins Conversational Controversies’: Declassified United States Documents, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC Podcasts etc.[25-28] While the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was reportedly funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to undertake the ‘Gain of Function’ Research to ‘Explore Laboratory Experimental Alteration of Viruses and detect the Deadliest Mutations’, the predominant dispositions suggest ‘Difficulties in Conclusive Findings’ which neither ‘Confidently Conclude the Laboratory Leak Theory’ nor ‘Confidently Conclusively Exclude Natural Animal to Human Virus Jump in the Wet Wuhan Market’.[29] It is reportedly documented that ‘Zoonotic Diseases and Coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 have been documented by the WIV.
Towards eclipsing these ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Unending Unresolved Uncertainties’, the ‘Triple-A Process Approach’ [30] should be adopted to assure the ‘Effective and Impactful Programmatic COVID-19 Pandemic Global Control Interventions’ appropriately approximate the ‘Actions’ with ‘Assessment’ having undertaken critical ‘Analyses’ of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’; a disposition of the ‘Triple-A Process’.
It is also uncomplimentary that, with several ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Unsettled Unending Unresolved Uncertainties’, the WHO has ENDED the ‘Declaration’ of ‘COVID-19’ as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)’ tantamount to ‘Avoidable Inappropriate Programmatic Interventional Precocity’.[31]
This brief ‘Communication’ is intended to excite further ‘Conversional Discourse’ of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Unending Unsettled Unresolved Uncertainties’ and particularly the ‘COVID-19 Origins’ suggesting possible ‘Avoidable Inappropriate Programmatic Interventional Precocity’ concerning the WHO ending ‘Covid-19’ as a PHEIC.
REFERENCES
1. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Pandemic Control Interventions: The Unrelenting Bothersome Chameleonic Reality of COVID-19 Pandemic Specifics. https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1408/rr of 5th July 2022
2. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, still evolving manifestations and Long Covid: Appreciating the ‘Chameleonic COVID-19’ for better ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Control’. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1887/rr-0 of 13th August 2022
3. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic: The difficult unresolved increasing challenges in weathering the storm. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1199/rr-10 of 31st March 2020
4. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic: Still on the difficult unresolved increasing challenges in weathering the storm’. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1199/rr-13 of 2nd April 2020
5. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic: Further perspectives on the difficult unresolved increasing challenges in weathering the storm. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1199/rr-16 of 5th April 2020
6. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 and face masks use: Limitless matters for extant conversation. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2030/rr-0 of 11th June 2020
7. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic and social distancing: more work in the works to be there. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2010/rr-1 of 12th June 2020
8. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic Interventions: Lockdown is not lockout; avoid interventional precocity with easing lockdowns. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2202/rr-4 of 14th June 2020
9. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 pandemic and stratified shielding: some more matters for the works. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2063/rr-2 of 18th June 2020
10. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 and the quadruple-barrel tragedy: matters still evolving for the works. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2197/rr of 19th June 2020
11. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and testing: Still searching for more facts. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2584/rr of 16th July 2020
12. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic and the Value of Antibodies Testing: Still More Matters in the Works. https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m2655/rr-1 of 14th August 2020
13. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19 Vaccinations: Beyond the ‘Vaccines Marathon Finish Line’; The Unfolding ‘Works in the Work’. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n24/rr-1 of 20th January 2021
14. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, beyond the ‘Vaccines Marathon Finish Line’ and ‘Post-Vaccine Approval Programmatic Haze’: The Evolving ‘2nd Dose Uncertainties’. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n18/rr-12 of 24th January 2021
15. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, beyond the ‘Vaccines Marathon Finish Line’ and ‘Post-Vaccines Approval Programmatic Haze’: The evolving ‘2nd Dose Uncertainties’; still more unfolding ‘Matters in the Work’. https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj.n18/rr-13 of 27th January 2021
16. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, COVID-19 Vaccines and Boosters: More Unresolved Evolving Matters in the Works. https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n3011/rr of 17th December 2021
17. Eregie C.O. Covid-19 Pandemic, Reinfection, Reactivation and COVID-19 Rebound: Efficacy of Covid-19 Pharmaceutical and Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions; The Imperative to Guard Against Interventional Precocity in Downing Guards. https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1365/rr of 15th June 2022
18. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, COVID-19 Vaccines and Rapidly Transmuting SARS-CoV-2 Variants/ Sub-variants: The Quest for Pan-Sarbecoviruses Vaccine Variants; A Further Imperative to Guard Against Global Interventional Precocity in Downing Guards. https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1257/rr-0 of 17th June 2022
19. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, COVID-19 Vaccines and Post-Vaccination Myocarditis and Pericarditis: Implications of ‘Piecemeal Emerging COVID-19 Vaccine Information’ for Population Trust and ‘Vaccine Hesitancy’. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1554/rr-0 of 9th August 2022
20. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, increasing ‘unanswered questions’ and the pandemic trajectory: Any envisioned terminus for the ‘evolving pandemic chameleonic reality’? https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2183/rr-0 of 27th September 2022
21. Looi M. Is covid-19 settling into a pattern? BMJ 2022; 378:o2183
22. Looi M. Did Covid-19 come from a lab leak in China? BMJ 2023; 382:p1556
23. Piper K. How deadly pathogens have escaped the lab—over and over again. Vox. 20 March 2019. www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/3/20/18260669/deadly-pathogens-escape-la....
24. Furmanski M. Threatened pandemics and laboratory escapes: self-fulfilling prophecies. 2014. https://thebulletin.org/2014/03/threatened-pandemics-and-laboratory-esca...
25. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the covid-19 pandemic. June 2023. www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Report-on-Potential-Links-B...
26. Gordon MR. US funded scientist among three Chinese researchers who fell ill amid early covid-19 outbreak. Wall Street Journal. 20 June 2023. www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-funded-scientist-among-three-chinese-researcher....
27. Calvert J, Arbuthnott G. What really went on inside the Wuhan lab weeks before covid. Sunday Times. 2023. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/inside-wuhan-lab-covid-pandemic-china-america....
28. Sudworth J, Maybin S. Covid: top Chinese scientist says don’t rule out lab leak. BBC News. 30 May 2023. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65708746.
29. Thacker PD. The covid-19 lab leak hypothesis: did the media fall victim to a misinformation campaign? BMJ 2021; 374:n1656. doi:10.1136/bmj.n1656 pmid:34244293
30. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, long covid and discordant situational pandemic appraisal: Pandemic control requires a ‘Triple-A Process’. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2266/rr of 5th October 2022.
31. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, pandemic situational appraisal and the UK Vaccination Programme Public Inquiry: Still on the ‘Triple-A Process’ and the imperative for a ‘Cyclical Triple-A Process’ (monitoring and evaluation). https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2022-070344/rr-13 of 13th October 2022
32. Eregie C.O. COVID-19 Pandemic, WHO ends ‘COVID-19 PHEIC Declaration’ with ‘remaining uncertainties’: The imperative to continue upholding ‘non-pharmaceutical interventions’ (NPIs) and guard against ‘programmatic communicative inexactitudes’. Https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj.p949/rr-1 of 22nd May 2023
Professor Charles Osayande Eregie,
MBBS, FWACP, FMCPaed, FRCPCH (UK), Cert. ORT (Oxford), MSc (Religious Education), FAMedS, FIPMD, FIMC, CMC, CMS
Professor of Child Health and Neonatology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.
UNICEF-Trained BFHI Master Trainer,
ICDC-Trained in Code Implementation,
*Technical Expert/ Consultant on the FMOH-UNICEF-NAFDAC Code Implementation Project in Nigeria,
*No Competing Interests.
Competing interests: No competing interests