Was Suffering Caused and Exacerbated by the Political Elite?

Newsreel Asia Insight #213
May 6, 2024

The United States disclosed to Britain during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in millions of deaths and widespread suffering due to lockdown measures worldwide, evidence indicating a “high likelihood” of the virus originating from a laboratory in China, The Telegraph (U.K.) reported on May 5.

In India, at least 533,570 people have died from the virus, according to the Worldometer website. However, some estimates suggest that the actual number might be significantly higher due to underreporting and discrepancies in the way deaths are recorded across different regions of the country. Numerous others, particularly the poor and daily-wage workers, suffered due to a sudden and stringent lockdown imposed without prior warning.

Worldwide, over 6.9 million people have died from COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization and other tracking sources. However, just like in India, the actual number may be higher due to differences in reporting standards and the recognition of COVID-19-related deaths across different countries.

The evidence suggesting the virus’s origins in a Chinese lab was shared in January 2021 among members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, comprising the U.S., the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia, amid warnings from the U.S. about China’s alleged concealment of relevant research and military activities at a Wuhan-based lab.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented a summary of classified U.S. intelligence reports to Dominic Raab, then the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary, along with representatives from the other alliance nations, the Telegraph said. The reports, collated in the early days of the pandemic by the U.S. State Department, were also distributed between October and December 2020 through the Five Eyes network.

The newspaper quoted two officials from the Trump administration, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as criticising the U.K. government for its scepticism towards the lab leak hypothesis. They claimed that resistance from British government scientists, who favoured a natural spill-over from animals to humans, led to the disregarding of the presented evidence.

A document made public under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act detailed accusations against China for its “consistent stonewalling” in the aftermath of the virus’s discovery and rebuked local officials for their “gross corruption and ineptitude.” Further, it referred to previous collaborations between Chinese military personnel and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It also noted that several researchers at the institute fell ill shortly before the outbreak in proximity to the facility.

The disclosed intelligence “gain of function” research at the Wuhan lab – a controversial practice that involves enhancing a virus’s capabilities, which has since emerged as a key argument supporting the lab leak theory.

This type of research involves genetically modifying organisms, including viruses, to enhance their capabilities, such as making them more transmissible or deadly. The main concern is the potential escape of these enhanced pathogens from laboratories, which could cause outbreaks or pandemics. Accidental releases from high-security labs, though rare, have occurred in the past and pose a significant risk.

There’s a worry that the data and techniques from “gain of function” studies could be misused for bioterrorism. The enhancement of pathogen capabilities could potentially lead to the creation of biological weapons, thereby increasing the risk of deliberate outbreaks.

The idea of intentionally making pathogens more dangerous raises ethical questions. Critics argue that the potential benefits of understanding disease pathways or developing new treatments do not always justify the risks associated with creating potentially harmful biological agents.

The suffering caused by the pandemic, allegedly due to “gain of function” research by the Chinese government, was likely worsened by the political elite elsewhere due to policies implemented by governments worldwide, including strict lockdowns, that sought to exploit the spread of the virus.

A study, titled “COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects,” says: “The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others.”