US halts funds to group linked to controversial Wuhan virus research

WASHINGTON (TND) — The federal government has suspended funding to the virus research group, EcoHealth Alliance (EHA) after it was confirmed that they were involved in gain-of-function viral research. This was a fact that was denied during the COVID-19 pandemic and the debate over COVID origins.

During a Thursday Congressional hearing, a federal official confirmed the research.

"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 gang-of-function research, if you're speaking about the generic term, yes, we did," answered Dr. Lawrence Tabak, the principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH). "Goes on in many many labs around the country it is not regulated and the reason it's not regulated it poses no threat or harm to anybody."

This gives light to the COVID-19 origin theory that the virus accidentally leaked from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, which received U.S. taxpayer funds through EcoHealth.

I have determined that the immediate suspension of EHA is necessary to protect the public interest and due to a cause of so serious or compelling a nature that it affects EHA’s present responsibility, including EHA’s failure to adequately monitor the virus growth in WIV’s experiments; EHA’s failure to notify the NIH that the WIV viruses appeared to grow beyond permissible thresholds under the grant’s terms and conditions," read the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Action Referral Memorandum for EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.

For years, Republicans in Congress asked federal health officials about this and were told they were conspiracy theorists.

"Gain-of-function research, as you know, is juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. during a 2021 Congressional hearing. "The U.S. government should admit that the Wuhan Virology Institute was experimenting to enhance the coronavirus' ability to infect humans."

"The NIH has not ever and does not fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology," explained Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during that same hearing.

In a statement to CNN, EcoHealth said the organization is “disappointed by HHS’ decision today and we will be contesting the proposed debarment. We disagree strongly with the decision and will present evidence to refute each of these allegations and to show that NIH’s continued support of EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest.”

Some experts say COVID-19 emerged naturally in a Wuhan Seafood Market. The U.S. Intelligence Community has maintained it's plausible it originated in a lab or in the wild.

U.S.-funded research at the lab hasn't been linked to the pandemic.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uLbAnKuvZpOkunC6xLCqaKaRqbawuoywpquklGTCtHnHmqOtq12bwq%2Bw0marqGWXp7y2vIyloKejlZl6tbuMnKanrKKkw6a%2B0qKYpWWnqrWiuoyvoKuto2K%2Fpr%2FEmqmcoF2asLC0xJqjraBdlrmttcCnmp5lk6TDqrCQcmScp6Kku6LCyKusrGWglrulscyimmabn6O0s7HSrKCoppGheqmxwKugp59doa64ucCknKurXamuubzAspyrZZaqu6W%2FjKKlrKyZqcK1sYyvoKunnKS0unnGmqCnZZ%2BbeqfBzZyroqeeYr%2Bmv8SaqZygXZ67tbHLpaCgnZ6Ysg%3D%3D