Mystery lab next to coronavirus epicentre

News Corp Australia ^ | January 29, 2020 11:37am | Jamie Seidel

[Zhang Fei]

It may just be a coincidence.

But the deadly coronavirus outbreak now sweeping the world began 30km from China’s most advanced viral research laboratories – the Wuhan Institute.

The Washington Times quoted former Israeli intelligence officer Dany Shoham as claiming The Wuhan Institute of Virology is part of a secret biological weapons program.

“Certain laboratories in the institute have probably been engaged, in terms of research and development, in Chinese (biological weapons), at least collaterally, yet not as a principal facility,” he asserted without corroborating evidence.

Mr Shoham says he was a Mossad lieutenant colonel specialist in biological and chemical warfare. But so far he’s the only apparent expert to make such a link.

Similar stories have begun circulating in China.

Only there, the claims — which are not censored under China’s strict information management regime — assert the virus is the result of a US germ warfare conspiracy.

“There is no evidence that it was a bioweapon, and any claims that it is wilfully spreads misinformation and is incredibly irresponsible,” warns MIT security studies professor Vipin Narang.

China already stands accused of breaching international treaties and engaging in biological weapons research.

“Information indicates that the People’s Republic of China engaged during the reporting period in biological activities with potential dual-use applications, which raises concerns regarding its compliance with the BWC,” the 2019 annual US State Department report on China’s arms treaty compliance warns.

“The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat.”

But Prof Narang doubts the 2019-nCoV virus is an escaped bioweapon: “It would be a terrible bioweapon because of blowback. A good bioweapon, in theory, has high lethality but low, not high, communicability.”

[Zhang Fei]

My first thought after the coronavirus outbreak was: population control and/or biological warfare.

China doesn't need population control. Its population density is similar to the EU's, and significantly lower than most of its neighbors. It's also obvious from the efforts of the dregs of China that emigrate that they are fairly productive when left to their own devices. A case in point is the composition of this US Math Olympiad team that took first place, tying with China, against global competition in 2019:

But Wuhan is reputed to be host to an offensive biowarfare research facility, not a defensive one like the one at Fort Detrick.

[Secret Agent Man]

Given that SARS was from bats the first go-round, not surprising this one is as well.

[RummyChick]

The stolen virus story is from Canada. And IIRC, they actually shipped it to China. Somehow got caught.

But it was not a China Bat/Sars virus that we know of....it was various cornoavirus

[RummyChick]

You may or may not understand this article..I do a little.

” But crucial genes — for a protein that allows the virus to latch onto and infect cells — were different in the human and known bat versions of the virus, leaving room for doubt about this hypothesis.”

CHapel Hill solved that.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-07766-9

[familyop]

Bioweapons development for at least some nations tends towards pathogens that end their missions within relatively short time spans and short distances.

[Cold Heart]

Wounding often creates a larger logistical problem for the recipient of an attack. Perhaps 3% is an optimal number for this biological if it is indeed a weapon.

[RummyChick]

THis is funny to me. I guess it could be true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbA2PRYsakA&feature=youtu.be

CHinese Propoganda video of a man cured of the virus

[RummyChick]

No idea if true..from twitter

Humanspan
@humanspan

A flight carrying U.S. diplomats, family members and other Americans out of Wuhan, China, as a potentially deadly form of #coronavirus continues to spread, was diverted from its planned destination of Ontario to March Air Force Base on Wednesday. 240 people, possible 2 week stay.

[yldstrk]

Well it took everybody long enough to get there, how dumb are people? My friends and I were talking about this lab last weekend.

[familyop]

Jet with US employees from China diverted to March air base amid coronavirus concerns
https://abc7.com/health/jet-carrying-us-employees-from-china-diverted-to-march-afb-amid-coronavirus-concerns/5887106/

[RummyChick]

Appears true

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2020/01/28/flight-from-epicenter-of-coronavirus-outbreak-redirected-to-march-air-force-base-in-riverside-county/

[familyop]

Australia scientists claim first re-creation of coronavirus outside China
1 HOUR AGO
https://www.trtworld.com/life/australia-scientists-claim-first-re-creation-of-coronavirus-outside-china-33308

[RummyChick]

Yeah...so ...uh...think someone is really sick on that plane????

Or maybe Trump decided it was better to handle it this way.

[familyop]

Australia to quarantine coronavirus evacuees on Christmas Island
10 mins ago
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-australia-christmas-island-quarantine-b034dc20-bc23-47b0-9d52-f4a548f96597.html

[palmer]

Wounding often creates a larger logistical problem for the recipient of an attack. Perhaps 3% is an optimal number for this biological if it is indeed a weapon.

There's no wounds from viruses, most recover completely. Much higher lethality limits the spread and lethality is not easy to figure out so 1 to 10% is probably just a ball park estimate for an engineered weapon.

[familyop]

Google shuts down Taiwan office due to viral outbreak
Google, Facebook advise their employees to avoid traveling to China

By Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/01/29 12:26
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3866348

[yldstrk]

there are a lot of Chinese students and TAs in Douglas County, home of KU, the embarassing basketball hooligans in Lawrence KS

[familyop]

Island quarantine plan as foreigners leave China
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/world/2020-01-29-island-quarantine-plan-as-foreigners-leave-china/

[Along with evacuation plans of other nations.]

[BobL]

“Doesn’t sound like much of a bio weapon with a 3% kill rate.”

It’s too early to be sure of the kill rate (since many who have it have yet to die), but the virus, ALREADY, is sending 25% or so of those who get it to Intensive Care.

...that is a weapon, and a bad one.

[yldstrk]

Yes, it is more difficult to deal with sick and wounded than expired.