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Dr Nick Coatsworth has called on China to help identify the origin of the covid-19 pandemic after a US report reignited debate that it could have started in a laboratory.
The former deputy chief medical officer criticized Beijing for not being transparent with the international community about the origin of the outbreak.
Its removal comes after the release of a classified report from the US Department of Energy that claimed the virus likely leaked from a research lab in Wuhan.
The conclusion is shared by the FBI and adds fuel to the ongoing debate about how the pandemic began with speculation that the virus could have simply jumped from animals to humans before spreading around the world.
The FBI said it reached its own conclusion of a lab leak with “moderate confidence,” while the Department of Energy said it did so with “low confidence.”
US officials said that while both departments agree, they formed their conclusions for different reasons and declined to disclose what intelligence the Department of Energy used to base its conclusion on.
The Department of Energy’s stance is important as the agency is known for its expertise and oversees several US laboratories, some of which conduct biological research.
The Department of Energy updated its conclusion about the origin of the covid pandemic in a 2021 classified report that was prepared by the Director of National Intelligence and provided to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
The FBI shares the conclusion of a laboratory leak, while other agencies have raised the possibility that the virus has jumped from animals to humans (file image)
Dr Coatsworth said the department’s “low confidence” indicated it had no evidence to support its claim of a lab leak and urged China to step in to help solve the mystery.
“It’s up to China to tell us what really happened, and I don’t think we’ll find out in our lifetimes,” he told the Today Show on Tuesday.
Dr Coatsworth said it was a “possibility” that the virus originated in a research laboratory, but the latest report provided no firm evidence.
“I hasten to add that what they’re saying is that they think it most likely came from a lab, but they’re saying that with a low degree of confidence,” he said.
‘It means they don’t really have proof yet where it came from.’
Dr. Coatsworth criticized China for its lack of transparency, saying it’s not the first time the communist nation has hidden information.
“If this came from a laboratory, then this is the second time that China has not been transparent with the information,” he said.
“SARS-CoV-1 did not come from a laboratory and we did not know that for a long time because the release of information was slow.”
China was slow to report the SARS outbreak in 2003 with the virus spreading to the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Dr Coatsworth said China may follow the Cambodian government’s lead after it did not hesitate to announce this week that it was dealing with an influenza outbreak.
“That’s the level of transparency we should expect but is sadly lacking when you have two superpowers in conflict over this evidence,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused unnamed parties of trying to smear or vilify China following the Energy Department report.
“Certain parties should stop repeating the ‘lab leak’ narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origin tracing,” he said during a press conference on Monday.
The takedown of Dr. Coatsworth comes after the release of a classified US Department of Energy report that claimed the virus likely leaked from a research lab in Wuhan.
He talked about Chinese cooperation with investigative agencies, although in 2021 China refused an effort by the World Health Organization to carry out a second phase of its research.
the group has denied abandonment his research amid China’s obstacles.
Four other agencies in the US are still said to favor the ‘natural spill’ theory that the virus escaped via an animal at a nearby meat market.
Two agencies, one of which is the CIA, have yet to state a final position.
The FBI also has expertise in disease and virology, hiring microbiologists and immunologists and taking part in their efforts to protect the country against bioterrorism and weapons.
The government officials who disclosed the Energy Department’s reversal did not comment on what new intelligence information they based their conclusion on.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that there was still “no definitive answer.”
This is what I can tell you. President Biden has repeatedly directed all elements of our intelligence community to put forth effort and resources to get to the bottom of this issue,” he said.
‘If we get any more knowledge or information, we’ll share it with Congress and we’ll share it with the American people. But at this time, no definitive answer has emerged from the intelligence community on this question.’