The Biden administration has recently announced plans to impose a decade-long ban on funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a Chinese research laboratory that has been at the center of a highly debated discussion surrounding the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. This information was disclosed in a memo published by a House subcommittee on Tuesday evening, and confirmed by an official familiar with the matter.
According to the memo, which was written by an official from the Department of Health and Human Services, the institute has repeatedly failed to comply with requests from the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) to provide important documents such as laboratory notebooks, necessary for ensuring safety practices. The memo states that the N.I.H. has determined that the Wuhan institute “likely violated protocols of the N.I.H. regarding biosafety,” and emphasizes the need for funding suspension to mitigate potential public health risks. The memo also mentions that there is sufficient evidence to initiate “debarment proceedings.” The institute, which has not received federal funding since 2020, now has 30 days to respond to the notice.
The memo was made public by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, and was initially reported by Bloomberg. Republicans on the House panel have consistently asserted that the virus originated from a laboratory leak and have focused their attention on research conducted by the Wuhan Institute.
In response to the pandemic outbreak, the Trump administration terminated a grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that was collaborating with the Wuhan Institute in studying bat coronaviruses in China.
Officials from the National Institutes of Health have vehemently denied allegations that U.S. taxpayer dollars were involved in any laboratory research that could have led to the pandemic. However, they have conceded that they are unaware of the specific research projects conducted by the Wuhan Institute.
In January, an internal watchdog agency found significant errors in the N.I.H.’s oversight of grants, highlighting missed deadlines, confusing protocols, and misused funds in a detailed 64-page report. These findings raised concerns about the federal government’s ability to effectively monitor research involving potentially dangerous pathogens.
Although EcoHealth’s grant was reinstated in May, it does not provide funding for research in China or involving animals.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
