COVID-19 lab-leak theory debunked by Australian professor

[oioioi]

Eddie Holmes can still remember the exact moment he first learned about COVID-19.

The University of Sydney virologist said it was New Years Eve, 2019, when he received a news alert that China had notified the World Health Organization of a strange new virus. "It said four cases of an episode of pneumonia were found in a live animal market in Wuhan, China," he said. "It immediately rang alarm bells."

Professor Holmes told ABC News Daily the story jumped out because he had visited that very market, the Huanan seafood wholesale market, in 2014.

"While I was there, I noticed there were these live wildlife for sale, particularly raccoon dogs and … muskrats" he said. "I took the photographs because I thought to myself: 'God, that's, that's not quite right'.







https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-13/profile-professor-eddie-holmes-virus-hunter-covid-19/101324738

[Irish_Dem]

1. The findings seem entirely consistent with the lab leak theory.

We know the virus clustered around the Wuhan market. That is not in doubt.

The nearby Wuhan Lab was studying the Covid virus in relationship to bats.

The theory is that the lab staff were taking contaminated lab animals, against rules, to sell at the market for human consumption.

This would be entirely consistent with Chinese history, selling what is available for cash, common in an impoverished country.

And we know that scientists from the Obama era had reported dangerously lax lab protocols at this particular lab and were quite concerned about it.

[Cicada]

3. The Wuhan lab is more than 10 miles away

They couldn’t sell lab animals at a market closer than 10 miles away?

There was another lab 500 yards from the animal market but it did not open until Dec 2 2019. Someone tested positive Dec 10. It takes on average 5.5 days from infection to symptom, then you need a doctors appointment. Did the nearby lab even have animals that early?

[Irish_Dem]

4. When people are hungry and impoverished they will do what it takes to earn money.

The lab workers would go to the market that brings them top dollar.

A detective uses facts to build a case.

The lab with well known and documented lax procedures, scientists actively working on bat viruses, including covid, within a reasonable distance of the hot spot market in question would be the top suspect.

The time line seems iffy on the closer lab I agree. It would be lower on the suspect list.

[TheRealNorth]

2. All this is is a lame attempt by Republicans to blame someone else....

For Trump's failure to take action early on because he didn't want to rattle the markets and the economy because of the election.