Testimony delivered to Congress in 2024 has drawn renewed attention to the U.S. government’s involvement in research conducted in Wuhan, adding to the ongoing debate over how the COVID-19 pandemic began.

During a House committee hearing, NIH principal deputy director Lawrence Tabak acknowledged federal funding tied to gain-of-function work in China. “Dr. Tabak, did NIH fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth?” asked Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.). “It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research,” Tabak answered. “If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.”

Questions surrounding the origins of COVID-19 remain unresolved, in part because Chinese authorities have not permitted an independent international probe. Within the U.S. government, some officials continue to view a laboratory leak in China as a plausible explanation for the outbreak.

{Matzav.com}