US doctor sounded alarm over Wuhan lab safety two years before Covid outbreak

A doctor working for the US Government visited the Wuhan lab almost two years before the start of the pandemic and flagged safety concerns, it has been revealed. Dr. Ping Chen visited China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) – which has faced questions over the origins of Covid – in October 2017 to write a report. Dr. Chen, then the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), wrote her report the following month, which detailed concerns about the lab and the staff working in it. She wrote in her memo obtained by The New York Post : ‘It is clear to me by talking to the technician that certainly there is a need for training support.’ The FBI believes Covid “most likely” originated in a “Chinese government-controlled lab”, but there is no concrete evidence to prove that it came from WIV. The Wuhan lab in February 2017 (Image: AP) Dr. Chen wrote about the Wuhan lab almost two years ago: ‘I think the institute would welcome any help and technical support by NIAID.’ Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is reportedly seeking more information about Dr. Chen’s concerns. Johnson believes a State Department cable from 2018 about the WIV was more pointed. The statement read: ‘[D]uring interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted that the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory.’ A view of the P4 lab inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology is seen in 2021 (Image: AP) Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul pressured the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2021 for more information. But Johnson was frustrated with the large number of redactions in the version of the report he received. The HHS later admitted that the redactions were made due to national security concerns. Johnson wrote in a letter to the HHS on Thursday: ‘In the public FOIA documents, HHS redacted Dr. Chen’s entire report claiming that it contains privacy and deliberative information.” In this Feb 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden visits the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the NIH (Image: AP) Johnson added: ‘It seems apparent that the only reason that HHS redacted this information was to hide the report’s contents from the American people. ‘Perhaps HHS did not want the public to fully understand the fact that NIH and NIAID officials were aware of safety concerns at the WIV dating as far back as 2017.’ Many believers of the ‘lab leak’ theory have suggested that the pandemic began at the WIV, where research on bat coronaviruses was performed – with some of it funded by US taxpayers. The HHS told Congress on Tuesday that the Wuhan lab would no longer receive US government support until at least July 2033, citing the facility’s failure to comply with government regulations. Johnson – also the ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations – has demanded an interview with Dr. Chen. He is also requesting un-redacted copies of her 2017 report and all other material relating to the WIV. Johnson wrote in his letter: ‘HHS and NIH continue to obstruct my oversight efforts. It is unacceptable that HHS and NIH had Dr. Chen’s report in its possession and only provided a slightly-less redacted version for my staff to review in camera.’ Nearly seven million people have died from Covid around the world, with 1.1 million deaths in the US. Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews and @expressusnews