The US intelligence services obtained genetic data about the viruses, which they studied in the laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It is reported by CNN, citing sources.
At the same time, it is indicated that the channel does not have accurate information about when and how American intelligence gained access to the data, but admits that this happened as a result of hacking into servers related to research in a laboratory in Wuhan.
22,000
viruses
studied in the Wuhan laboratory, data on which the US intelligence has
According to CNN, the United States now has data on 22,000 viruses studied in the Wuhan laboratory. However, the array of genetic information requires careful analysis to make it possible to draw any specific conclusions. This work is carried out using supercomputers in the laboratories of the US Department of Energy.
It is also noted that the process of analyzing the data is complicated by the fact that the accompanying notes are made in Chinese, so the American intelligence services must find knowledgeable Chinese specialists, and also make sure they can be trusted. The exact timeline for the completion of this work has not yet been determined.
Leak of coronavirus
On August 2, House Rep. Members of the U.S. Republican Party provided evidence of a coronavirus leak from a Wuhan lab. The text was published by the senior Republican of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCall.
The document became the third part of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus. The report was compiled on the basis of data from open sources and circumstantial evidence. According to politicians, SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world as a result of a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In this regard, the Republicans called on the US authorities to hold China accountable. In particular, McCall demanded that Congress impose sanctions on scientists from the Wuhan laboratory, as well as on representatives of the Chinese Communist Party.
The report on the coronavirus leak has generated mixed reactions. For example, some health officials believe that such an investigation is an important step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, other experts believe that it is too early to draw unambiguous conclusions about the origin of COVID-19.
WHO investigation
In July, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced the organization's plans to check the laboratories near which the first cases of COVID-19 were recorded.
We are talking about checking the institutions of Wuhan, in the area of which the first infected with SARS-CoV-2 were detected in December 2019. This is one of five steps that the head of WHO is going to take to investigate the origin of the coronavirus. In addition, the organization is researching people and animals, the animal market in Wuhan, and will also explore areas where other SARS-related coronaviruses have been found. However, the Chinese government has reacted negatively to WHO's plans.
In addition, Beijing has declared its support for the investigation, which will be based on a scientific approach and oppose the politicization of the investigation into the origin of the virus.
