Former CDC Chief Dr. Robert Redfield Claims Covid-19 Origin Debate was 'Squashed'
Dr. Robert Redfield, the former head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has claimed that he was marginalized for his views on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. Redfield, who was a key witness in a US congressional committee's investigation into the emergence of the coronavirus, believes that he was excluded from early discussions on the virus's origins because he suspected a lab leak. However, many scientists have stated that there is no evidence to support the lab leak theory.
The White House has also stated that there is no consensus across the US government on the virus's origins. Some studies suggest that the virus made the jump from animals to humans in Wuhan, China, possibly at the city's seafood and wildlife market. The market is located near the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is a world-leading virus laboratory that conducted research on coronaviruses.
No Consensus on Covid-19 Origins
Redfield, who was the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the outbreak began in 2020, was an early supporter of the lab leak theory. He testified to a House select subcommittee, which was formed by the new Republican majority in the US House of Representatives, that it was "not scientifically plausible" to him that the virus had natural origins. However, he claims that he was "sidelined" at the beginning of the pandemic and excluded from meetings because his views were not in line with other major scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the de-facto face of the US pandemic response.
The House panel, which is comprised of nine Republicans and seven Democrats, has stated that it aims to stay above partisan politics. But this may prove difficult given the divisive nature of the subject matter. The panel also includes Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who used the hearing to voice her concerns about decisions made by federal agencies during the pandemic.
The House probe comes shortly after FBI Director Christopher Wray said that an unintentional lab incident was "most likely" how Covid originated. However, many scientists who have studied the virus have stated that there is no new scientific evidence pointing to a lab leak. A natural origin is still the more likely theory, according to Professor David Robertson, head of viral genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Glasgow.