Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified on Wednesday that his examination of SARS-CoV-2 virus led him to believe that the novel coronavirus emerged via an “accidental lab leak.”
Redfield, a medical doctor and virologist, offered his remarks while testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in what C-SPAN branded as a hearing on the “origins of COVID-19.”
Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield: “Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believe and I still believe today that it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event.” pic.twitter.com/qz5Qdf8Zrc
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 8, 2023
The SARS-CoV-2 virus’s features and behavior, Redfield stated, suggested synthetic origins as opposed to zoonotic evolution:
Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believe — and I still believe today — that it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event. This conclusion is based primarily on the biology of the virus itself, including the rapid high infectivity for human-to-human transmission, which would then predict the rapid evolution of new variants as well as a number of other important factors, which also include the unusual actions in and around Wuhan in the fall of 2019.
Redfield likened the “COVID-19 pandemic” to gain-of-function research, a process through which a virus is manipulated to increase its pathogenicity, infectivity, or lethality:
My own opinion [is that the] COVID-19 pandemic presents a case study on the potential dangers of such research. While many believe that gain-of-function research is critical to get ahead of viruses by developing vaccines, in this case, I believe it was the exact opposite, unleashing a new virus to the world without any means of stopping it and resulting in the deaths of millions of people.
Because of this, it’s my opinion that we should call from moratorium on gain-of-function research until we have a broader debate and we come to a consensus as a community about the value of gain-of-function research. This debate should not be limited to the scientific community.
.@RepMalliotakis: “Why do you think you were excluded?”
Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield: “It was told me they wanted a single narrative and that I obviously had a different point of view.” pic.twitter.com/Nkt4xWZ6rf
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 8, 2023
“I think there’s no doubt that NIH was funding gain-of-function research,” Redfield added when asked by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) of the federal government’s sponsorship of viral research.
Malliotakis asked, “Is it likely that American tax dollars funded the gain-of-function research that created this virus?”
Redfield replied, “I think it did, not only from NIH, but from the State Department, USAID and from DOD.”
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter @rkraychik.
