 in China, which had been collecting and manipulating bat viruses. Many eminent scientists have continued to dispute the lab leak theory, claiming that a natural spillover event is a more likely explanation. But the new report said there was "a number of anomalies" in the emergence of Covid-19 naturally compared with other spillover diseases, such as Sars and Mers. Within six months of the Sars epidemic in 2002, scientists had discovered the species behind the outbreak, yet despite widespread searching, a candidate for Covid-19 has never been found. 'Nearly three years after the Covid-19 pandemic began, critical evidence that would prove the emergence of Sars-CoV-2, and resulting Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a natural zoonotic spillover is missing,' the report said. The committee also said that it was unusual that Covid-19 had spilt over into humans just once or twice over a two-week period, and had only occurred in Wuhan or closely surrounding areas. Unclear how the virus travelled In other spillover events, the jump between species happened multiple times and in different locations. The bats which carry the closest virus to Covid-19 live in Southern China or Southeast Asia so it is unclear how the virus travelled more than 1,000 miles to reach Wuhan, the report said. However, WIV had collected more than 220 Sars-related coronaviruses, at least 100 of which were never made public. Staff were photographed wearing inadequate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) while handing bats. There is also evidence that WIV scientists were engaging in advanced coronavirus research that was designed to predict and prevent future pandemics by collecting, characterising, and experimenting on 'high-r){kind=link}
Committee report said the theory the virus emerged naturally ‘no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt’ and a leak was more plausible
The Covid-19 pandemic was ‘more likely than not’ the result of a laboratory accident, a US Senate Committee has concluded.
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been speculation that the virus emerged as the result of a lab leak from The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China, which had been collecting and manipulating bat viruses.
Many eminent scientists have continued to dispute the lab leak theory, claiming that a natural spillover event is a more likely explanation.
But the new report said there was “a number of anomalies” in the emergence of Covid-19 naturally compared with other spillover diseases, such as Sars and Mers.