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by m0llusk 1791 days ago
This doesn't attempt to quell anything, it just points out that being certain of origins is probably going to require rigorous investigation. This is the same as with SARS and MERS which both took around 15 years to fully understand and also did not have full cooperation from the governments involved.

Like most science all of the statements here can be verified with respect to the sources cited. Saying that the origins of SARS-CoV2 have not been conclusively established but are of great interest is not controversial.

If there is any lack of credibility here it is with lab leak hypothesis enthusiasts failing to supply solid evidence and then claiming that criticism amounts to both censorship and a kind of indirect proof of their assertions.
1 comments
ChemSpider 1790 days ago
> failing to supply solid evidence

How, if all data from Wuhan is off limits?

My complaint is that this letter should be addressed to Mr. Xi. But instead they make it sound like this is a global issue.

It is only China that is blocking all research into the origin. No other country has placed any blocks or limits on the research.

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m0llusk 1790 days ago
Most research into viral origins is driven by sampling and sequencing of genetic material. Even without cooperation from China there is still a record of virus samples preserved for research and also found in the environment. It is not clear that China has the ability to block the reveal of SARS-CoV2 origins. It is also not clear that a revealed origin would actually change anything about efforts to deal with COVID-19.

Furthermore, your focus on China is revealing. Other nations botched their response to COVID-19 and that is their responsibility. There is no good reason for COVID-19 to have become so deadly. The blame for the impact of COVID-19 belongs with all the developed nations that had every reason to know there would be more coronavirus outbreaks after SARS and MERS and decided instead to focus on politics or on ineffective strategies such as hosing down streets with bleach instead of responding coherently to the pandemic.

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