Wuhan lab funding from US suspended by Biden over 'potential public health risk'
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he convenes a meeting of the White House Competition Council in the State Dining room
Reuters
US funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been suspended after Joe Biden concluded its review into the organisation.
A memo from the Department of Health and Health Services revealed the research institute is “not compliant with federal regulations and is not presently responsible”.
HHS also blocked the Wuhan Institute from doing business with Washington going forward.
A spokesperson revealed the lab has not received federal funding from the US National Institutes of Health since July 2020.
A spokesperson revealed the lab has not received federal funding from the US National Institutes of Health since July 2020
Reuters
HHS concluded its review after the Wuhan-based institute failed to provide the National Institutes of Health with requested documents.
The US hoped to receive the documents amid reported safety concerns at the lab.
A spokesperson from HHS said: “This action aims to ensure that WIV does not receive another dollar of federal funding.
“The move was undertaken due to WIV’s failure to provide documentation on WIV’s research requested by NIH related to concerns that WIV violated NIH’s biosafety protocols.”
Joe Biden in IrelandReutersThe Wuhan Institute of Virology has also been at the centre of a theory that the coronavirus escaped from the lab in 2019.
The theory, which comes after the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the region, eventually resulted in a global pandemic and nearly seven million deaths.
US intelligence officials are yet to reach a conclusion about Covid’s origins.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence last month revealed the US intelligence community could not determine whether researchers at the lab who fell ill in the fall of 2019 were infected with COVID-19.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology has also been at the centre of a theory that the coronavirus escaped from the lab in 2019
Reuters
However, the independent agency identified safety and security issues at the lab.
Other experts have claimed coronavirus likely emerged naturally and spread to humans in a Wuhan seafood market.
Beijing has blocked international scientists from freely exploring all hypotheses.
The decision has prevented researchers from shining a light on coronavirus’ origins.