Alert! Congress holds first hearing tomorrow morning on Covid-19 origins

Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. a special subcommittee formed to investigate everything related to the Covid-19 pandemic will hold a first hearing on the origins of the virus.

Testifying will be:

1. Robert Redfield, MD, former CDC director

2. Jamie Metzl, PhD, senior fellow, Atlantic Council

3. Nicholas Wade, former science and health editor, New York Times; former editor of Science magazine and former editor of the journal Nature

4. Paul Auwaerter, MD (Democrat witness), clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and will be livestreaming at:

https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/investigating-the-origins-of-covid-19/

Written testimony from all four witnesses has been posted to the subcommittee’s website in advance of the hearing.

In his written testimony, Redfield, who was CDC director from 2018-2021 under President Donald Trump, says the following:

“From the earliest days of the pandemic, my view was that both theories about the origin of COVID-19 needed to be aggressively and thoroughly examined. Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believe—and still believe today—that it indicates COVID-19 infections more likely were the result of an accidental lab leak than the result of a natural spillover event. This conclusion is based primarily on the biology of the virus itself, including its rapid high infectivity for human to human transmission which would then predict rapid evolution of new variants, as well as a number of other important factors to include the unusual actions in and around Wuhan in the fall of 2019, all of which I am happy to discuss today.

“Even given the information that has surfaced in the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, some have contended that there is no point in investigating the origins of this virus. I strongly disagree. There is a global need to know what we are dealing with in the COVID-19 virus because it affects how we approach the problem to try and prevent the next pandemic.”

After leaving the CDC in early 2021, Redfield took a position as advisor to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a liberal Republican.

In March of that year, he went on on CNN and told Dr. Sanjay Gupta that he thought Covid most likely came out of a lab, saying:

“I am of the point of view that I still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, you know, escaped. Other people don’t believe that. That’s fine. Science will eventually figure it out…It’s not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in the laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.”

The Washington Times @WashTimes

Dr. Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, left CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta stunned on Friday after saying COVID-19 likely escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.

washingtontimes.comRobert Redfield, ex-CDC director, says COVID-19 likely came from lab: ‘I’m allowed to have opinions’Dr. Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, left CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta stunned on Friday after saying COVID-19 likely escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.

For this, Maryland state legislators called for his resignation.

The Speaker of the Maryland House, Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), accused Redfield of “spreading conspiracy theories that fuel hate.”

Bryn Stole @brynstole

Firestorm brewing in Maryland over remarks from Dr Robert Redfield—Gov Hogan’s senior public health advisor and former Trump admin CDC director—that he believes COVID-19 pandemic stems from lab in Wuhan (WHO assessment called that “extremely unlikely”)

baltimoresun.comTrump CDC head, now adviser to Maryland Gov. Hogan, shares unproven belief that COVID escaped from lab in China; lawmakers condemn statemen…Dr. Robert Redfield said he believes the coronavirus “most likely” originated from a lab in Wuhan, China — a claim that has circulated widely among the previous presidential administration but is unproven.

Bryn Stole @brynstole

.@SenatorSusanLee: AAPI leaders in Maryland are "disturbed" at Redfield's comments and "appalled," "shocked" Gov. Hogan advisor would say that. Unfounded speculation like Redfield's has fueled "very toxic & dangerous climate" for Asian-Americans, esp. in wake of Atlanta murders.

Bryn Stole @brynstole

Both Sen. @ClarenceLamMD and Md. Senate President @SenBillFerg said @GovLarryHogan needs to ask Dr. Robert Redfield retract or clarify his remarks or else resign his post as a senior advisor to the state.

baltimoresun.comTrump CDC head, now adviser to Maryland Gov. Hogan, shares unproven belief that COVID escaped from lab in China; lawmakers condemn statemen…Dr. Robert Redfield said he believes the coronavirus “most likely” originated from a lab in Wuhan, China — a claim that has circulated widely among the previous presidential administration but is unproven.

Bryn Stole @brynstole

.@SpeakerAJones on Robert Redfield's comments to CNN: “I would hope that the [Hogan] Administration would focus on getting shots in people’s arms and our economy reopened – not spreading conspiracy theories that fuel hate.”

baltimoresun.comTrump CDC head, now adviser to Maryland Gov. Hogan, shares unproven belief that COVID escaped from lab in China; lawmakers condemn statemen…Dr. Robert Redfield said he believes the coronavirus “most likely” originated from a lab in Wuhan, China — a claim that has circulated widely among the previous presidential administration but is unproven.

It would be nice to hear at some point that they’ve reached out to him to apologize.