[tim333]

>Nor does it matter

There is the matter of trying to prevent the next one. It kind of looks like there were other incidents around the WIV before covid 19 and it was a systemic issue of dangerous research without proper safeguards, and I doubt the WIV was the only lab at it.

There's a bit of an issue that if a researcher makes some dangerous new virus in the lab they get an interesting paper out of it, maybe tenure, and don't worry very much about that it could kill a million people in the one in a thousand chance it escapes. But a one in a thousand chance of a million deaths is still a statistical expectation of a thousand deaths.

[therealpygon]

It happens several times a year in the US alone, often unreported, and about 100 times a year worldwide. I don’t disagree that every lab can have improved precautions. I know I for one am encouraged by how focused the conversation is on improving domestic lab safety and encouraging our global community to introduce stricter controls by… checks notes …staring a trade war with them, firing staff in various related agencies, decreasing research funding, decreasing health department staff, and decreasing oversight while…checks notes agains …blaming Biden. I’m shocked by how the new administration is so capable of honing in on the root of problems.