Science below the fold

 The NIH is restoring funding to EcoHealth so they can fund bat virus reseach in the Wuhan lab.

Nature:

NIH reinstates grant for controversial coronavirus research

Researchers who spoke to Nature applaud the renewal, adding that this type of research is essential to avert the next pandemic. They claim that the NIH’s termination and subsequent suspension were politically motivated, and that, although long overdue, this renewal ends — for now — a drama-filled exchange between the agency and EcoHealth.

Yes it was just politics... 

but WTF? 

Scientists at Boston University have developed a form of coronavirus that killed 80 per cent of the mice they tested it on — reigniting the debate over the use of experimental lab research involving deadly pathogens. Amid the furore, the university hit back at “false and inaccurate” media coverage that “sensationalised” the research.....

a lot of the articles still assume that no, the virus didn't accidentally come from the Wuhan lab so there was no reason to stop such experiments. But they also ignore lab leaks and infections from these labs in the past.

As for Wuhan: One argument against the accidental release is that two variations of the virus spread from the wet market to people.

So how could a leak travel a mile from the lab to the market if it were a lab leak?

That was puzzling, until I read an article that some lab personnel were diverting lab animals to be sold (either live but infected, or dead, what we in the Philippines call double dead meat).

to tell you the truth, corruption is a problem in China to a degree that would shock the average Yank. But those of us familar with corruption that is common here in the Philippines just laugh at that rumor, because it is believable.

as for EcoHealth: Last Sept there was a report that Eco health wanted to build a lab here in the Philippines.

three projects currently being undertaken in the Philippines. This includes PREDICT, bat conservation and EIDR (Emerging Infectious Disease Repository). The PREDICT project seeks to “identify new emerging infectious diseases that could become a threat to human health” while EIDR seeks to “unravel the origins of Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) events.”

The PH Government should look into the extent of these projects in the Philippines, particularly EIDR, as it is funded both by the US DTRA and USAID, both agencies which have various program objectives other than purely scientific research.

Biolabs are important, both for human and animal health. They are needed to identify ordinary germs and then advise how to stop the spread, or maybe devise a a vaccine to stop the disease. (FMD, African swine flu, and bird flu to just name a few that are affecting the animals here in SEAsia, and other diseases that are a chronic danger, like Anthrax or brucellosis).

But the lies and coverup by China and the lies of the US experts to coverup that the US was funding this dangerous research ( because it was banned in the USA) have lowered the trust of ordinary people.

that is why conspiracy theories about the Ukraine biolabs is floating around, pushed by a Russia who has had it's own problems with lab leaks in the past.

But there is a fine line between investigating disease that could cause an epidemic, in order to stop it, and doing research for biowarfare. 

but the dirty little secret of biowarfare is blowback: You can't keep it from killing your own people.

That is why no one outside of really rabid conspiracy theorists think that Covid was a deliberate biowarfare attack by the Chinese government.

Finally, the decline of trust in the Public health establishment is a problem. We see it here after the Dengue vaccine debacle, where a few kids died from the vaccine given to the wrong kids, but the result was a mistrust that resulted in parents deciding against routine vaccines, and that resulted in hundreds dying of easily preventable diseases.

and we see it now, where a lot of folks are horrified that the same WHO types who stopped many epidemics (yellow fever and Ebola come to mind) have lost public trust because they seemed to lie to coverup the Wuhan virus. 

yet now we are reading that the WHO wants to tell all the world's governments that they need to obey the WHO policies. This would be needed for example if a new smallpox epidemic or black plague (or super flu) hit. But their credibility is now low, and so the usual suspects are seeing this as a power grab.

No I am not going to post a Tucker Carlson video about this: just read the article for his rant.

But thoughtful people are worrying about this too.

Here is Dr. C's video of a UK MP discussing the problem of the WHO's latest power grab;