The possibility that Covid could have leaked from a Chinese lab should not be ruled out, a former top Chinese government scientist said. Professor George Gao, former head of China's Centre for Disease Control (CDC), told the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt for COVID's Origin, “You can always suspect anything. That's science. Don't rule out anything.”
This contrasts the position of the Chinese government which has repeatedly dismissed any suggestion that the virus may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory.
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Covid lab leak theory and Wuhan
Wuhan - the city where the virus was first detected - is home to one of China's top national laboratories. The Covid lab leak theory resurfaced earlier this year in February when FBI's director said this is where it "most likely" originated. In a report seen by the Wall Street Journal, four other US agencies also agreed with the FBI and said a lab leak was likely. But many scientists say that Covid may have a natural origin - the virus spreading from animals to humans.
What Professor George Gao said
Professor Gao who played a key role in China's pandemic response said "that lab was double-checked by the experts in the field".
{{/usCountry}}Professor Gao who played a key role in China's pandemic response said "that lab was double-checked by the experts in the field".
{{/usCountry}}“I think their conclusion is that they are following all the protocols. They haven't found (any) wrongdoing,” he added.
What has China said about the ‘lab leak’ theory
"The so-called 'lab leak' is a lie created by anti-China forces. It is politically motivated and has no scientific basis," the Chinese embassy in the UK told the BBC while earlier this year, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the US intelligence community was evidence enough of the "politicisation of origin tracing".
"By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the US will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility," Mao Ning said adding, "We urge the US to respect science and facts... stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation," she added.