SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
In early 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic as the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread throughout the world, resulting in large scale development of COVID-19.
Public Health Responses
Public health reponses to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have varied widely throughout the world
SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Response Economic Fallout
The economic fallout due to the policies imposed during the pandemic may result in substantially more harm than the virus itself.
UK NHS Care Backlog
Here, NHS Providers admit that there are now over 5.3 million people waiting to begin hospital treatment - the highest number since records began in 2007. https://nhsproviders.org/addressing-the-care-backlog/context-the-impact-of-the-pandemic
Supply Chain Problems
SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Politics
Unusual Events and Circumstances
During the pandemic, it was noted that influenza and numerous other viruses virtually disappeared from surveillance. The reasons why have been hotly debated.
Pandemic FOIA Archive
FOI documents on origins of Covid-19, gain-of-function research and biolabs February 1, 2022 by Gary Ruskin
In July 2020, U.S. Right to Know began submitting public records requests in pursuit of data from public institutions in an effort to discover what is known about the origins of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease Covid-19. We are also researching accidents, leaks and other mishaps at laboratories where pathogens of pandemic potential are stored and modified, and the risks of gain-of-function research, which involve experiments on such pathogens to increase their host range, infectivity, transmissibility or pathogenicity.
For more information about our investigation, see our biohazards page. You can read our reporting here on the documents we have obtained so far from Freedom of Information requests.
The documents are posted below in chronological order in which we received them.1)
- National Institutes of Health
- NIH Batch #1 (2.1.22) (322 pages)
- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS Batch #2 (1.26.22) (321 pages)
- HHS Batch #1 (12.30.21) (266 pages)
- U.S. State Department records
- State Department Batch #10 (1.25.22) (47 pages)
- State Department Batch #9 (12.27.21) (20 pages)
- State Department Batch #8 (12.7.21) (16 pages)
- State Department Batch #7 (10.28.21) (37 pages)
- State Department Batch #6 (9.27.21) (100 pages)
- State Department Batch #5 (7.26.21) (56 pages)
- January 2018 cable on the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s BSL-4 laboratory (a more complete version of the cable first reported by Josh Rogin in the Washington Post)
- State Department Batch #4 (6.24.21) (129 pages)
- State Department Batch #3 (5.24.21) (114 pages)
- State Department Batch #2 (4.26.21) (37 pages)
- State Department Batch #1 (3.24.21) (92 pages)
- UC Davis/Jonna Mazet documents
Documents obtained through a California Public Records Act request for records of UC Davis Vice Provost Jonna Mazet. Dr. Mazet was the principal investigator on the U.S. Agency for International Development’s USAID Emerging Pandemic Threat EPT Program PREDICT-1 and PREDICT-2 grants with the EcoHealth Alliance.
- Batch #4 (1.10.22) (261 pages)
- Batch #3 (12.7.21) (137 pages)
- Batch #2 (12.7.21) (541 pages)
- Batch #1 (10.27.21)(139 pages)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA records
Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) communications with or about the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other Wuhan-based research institutes; EcoHealth Alliance; China; and the Global Health Security Agenda. Records include proposed SARS-CoV-2 human challenge studies (not clinical trials) to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, associated with the published World Health Organization nCoV Research & Development Blueprint. Draft informed consent and study protocols as well as descriptions of biocontainment units and SARS-CoV-2 challenge strains are included.
- Batch #1 (12.10.21)(262 pages)
- Xiang-Dong Fu emails
Documents obtained through a California Public Records Act request for records of Professor Xiang-Dong Fu, Distinguished Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California- San Diego. Dr. Fu has been a member of the International Executive Committee of Performance Evaluation of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- Batch #1 (11.12.21) (641 pages)
- See our reporting-
- Wuhan lab director ordered staff not to discuss Covid-19, State Department cable says, citing blogger (6.28.21)
- Three State Department Cables (5.27.21)
- Latinne et al. (2020) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
- NCBI emails (10.12.21)- File #1, File #2, File #3, File #4, File #5, File #6, File #7, File #8. Emails between NCBI and scientists from Ecohealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology regarding the submission of genetic sequence information about bat betacoronavirus isolate 7896, which is very closely related to RaTG13.
- National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)
- NSABB emails (10.11.21) (104 pages). Emails between Mary Ellen Groesch, NSABB members, and NIH staff regarding the replacement of 11 NSABB members, and 2014 plans to discuss dual use research guidelines (DURC) and a new biosecurity and biosafety program.
Documents obtained through FOIA to the NIH for email correspondence of Dr. Mary Ellen Groesch, Office of the Director, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute NHLBI and former executive director of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). Shan-Lu Liu emails
Zhengli Shi’s edits to a widely-cited EM&I commentary titled “No credible evidence supporting claims of the laboratory engineering of SARS-CoV-2.” (9.27.21) (10 pages). Document obtained through an Ohio Public Records Act request for a missing attachment from the email records of Ohio State University Professor Shan-Lu Liu.
Shan-Lu Liu emails- Ohio State University (8.4.21) (488 pages). Documents obtained through an Ohio Public Records Act request for the email records of Shan-Lu Liu, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University.
See our reporting-
Senior Chinese scientist acquired SARS-CoV-2 in lab infection accident, virologist says (8.5.21) Wuhan Institute of Virology has many unreported bat virus samples, collaborating virologist says (8.10.21) Scientists who authored article denying lab engineering of SARS-CoV-2 privately acknowledged possible lab origin, emails show (8.11.21)
CSIRO emails
CSIRO emails- Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Records. Documents obtained through an Australian Freedom of Information Act request to CSIRO for email records between Gary Crameri, Researcher, Health and Biosecurity Business Unit, Australian Center for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) of CSIRO, and collaborators, including Drs. Lin-Fa Wang and Edward C. Holmes.
- CSIRO Batch #5 (8.31.21) (63 pages)
- CSIRO Batch #4 (8.31.21) (99 pages)
- CSIRO Batch #3 (8.31.21) (50 pages)
- CSIRO Batch #2 (8.31.21) (4 pages)
- CSIRO Batch #1 (8.31.21) (154 pages)
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records
- CDC Batch #2 (6.28.21) (1,302 pages)
- CDC Batch #1 (3.05.21) (1,063 pages)
Fang Li emails
Fang Li emails- (6.25.21) (1234 pages). Documents obtained from public records requests for emails of Fang Li, PhD, Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota. Linda Saif emails
Linda Saif emails batch #1- (4.7.21) (303 pages). Documents obtained from public records requests for emails of Linda Saif, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine, Center for Food Animal Health, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University.
See our reporting- Chinese-linked journal editor sought help to rebut Covid-19 lab origin hypothesis (5.24.21) Ralph Baric emails
Ralph Baric emails batch #4: (12.30.21) (24 pages) Documents made available through a North Carolina public records law request for communications of Professor Ralph Baric related to biodefense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Ralph Baric emails batch #3: (2.25.21) (22,736 pages) Documents obtained from public records requests for emails Ralph Baric, PhD, William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Ralph Baric emails batch #2: (2.17.21) (332 pages).
See our reporting-
Chinese scientists sought to change name of deadly coronavirus to distance it from China (2.17.21) Emails show scientists discussed masking their involvement in key journal letter on Covid origins (2.15.21)
Ralph Baric emails batch #1 (12.14.20) (83,416 pages). Dr. Ralph Baric’s emails with EcoHealth Alliance, Wuhan Institute of Virology, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and experts in biodefense and infectious diseases.
See our reporting-
New emails show scientists’ deliberations on how to discuss SARS-CoV-2 origins (12.14.20) Items from coronavirus expert Ralph Baric‘s emails (12.14.20)
Rebekah Kading and Tony Schountz emails
Rebekah Kading and Tony Schountz (1.21.21) (2276 pages). Documents obtained from Colorado State University professors Rebekah Kading and Tony Schountz of the Center for Vector-Born Infectious Diseases (CVID).
See our reporting-
How safe are the biolabs at Colorado State? (1.21.21) Colorado State University documents on bat pathogen research (1.21.21)
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
NCBI Emails (12.29.20) (63 pages). Emails with coronavirus scientists who authored four key studies on coronavirus origins, about their revisions to genomic datasets associated with these studies.
See our reporting- Altered datasets raise more questions about reliability of key studies on coronavirus origins (12.29.20)
Rita Colwell emails
Rita Colwell emails with EcoHealth Alliance staff (11.18.20) (466 pages). Documents obtained from public records requests for emails of Rita Colwell, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a member of the EcoHealth Alliance board of directors.
See our reporting-
Scientist with conflict of interest leading Lancet COVID-19 Commission task force on virus origins (11.24.20) EcoHealth Alliance orchestrated key scientists’ statement on “natural origin” of SARS-CoV-2 (11.18.20)
Biohazards coronavirus, EcoHealth Alliance, FOI documents, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, pandemic pathogens, SARS-CoV-2 EcoHealth Alliance wanted to block disclosure of Covid-19-relevant virus data from China
Posted on January 10, 2022 by Sainath Suryanarayanan
EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak opposed the public release of Covid-19-related virus sequence data gathered from China as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s USAID PREDICT program, according to emails obtained by U.S. Right to Know.
The conversation in late April 2020 involved employees of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit that has received millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer funding to genetically manipulate coronaviruses, including with scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; and Metabiota, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company backed by Google that works with PREDICT, a “virus hunting” program that tracks unknown viruses.
Tammie O’Rourke of Metabiota emailed Hongying Li, who coordinates EcoHealth programs in China and Southeast Asia, an attachment with virus sequences detected in China that had been submitted to the public genetic sequence database GenBank. They then discussed whether the genetic sequences should be uploaded into the public database.
Hongying Li wanted to hold off on uploading the virus sequence data for several reasons, including that, “due to the COVID-19, any relevant data publication needs to be reviewed and approved by the institution in China…”
Daszak then wrote, “It’s extremely important we don’t have these sequences as part of our PREDICT release to Genbank at this point. As you may have heard, these were part of a grant just terminated by NIH.” He referred to an article in Politico, “Trump cuts U.S. research on bat-human virus transmission over China ties,” and urged holding off on public sharing of Chinese viral genomic data, even though the generation of the data was funded by U.S. taxpayers. “Having them as part of PREDICT will being [sic] very unwelcome attention to UC Davis, PREDICT and USAID,” Daszak wrote.2)