---
type: Conversation
title: Private channel session 1004
description: "slack conversation, 19 messages, 2021-02-20."
tags:
  - conversation
  - slack
medium: slack
message_count: 19
started_at: "2021-02-20T14:55:11"
ended_at: "2021-02-20T17:24:05"
duration_seconds: 8934
sources:
  - { id: slack_pm, resource: /sources/slack-pm.md, title: Slack / Private Message Drop, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release" }
generated: { by: randpaul-corpus-pipeline/1.0, at: "2026-08-01T12:42:27Z" }
status: stable
---

A slack conversation of 19 messages spanning 2h 28m.

# Metadata

- **Started:** 2021-02-20T14:55:11
- **Ended:** 2021-02-20T17:24:05
- **Duration:** 2h 28m
- **Participants:** 4
- **Source:** [slack_pm](/sources/slack-pm.md)
- **Pages:** 533-534

# Participants

* [Andrew Rambaut](/people/andrew-rambaut.md)
* [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md)
* [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md)
* [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md)

# Transcript

**[2021-02-20T14:55:11] Edward C. Holmes:** Sorry, I need catch-up. Just been chatting with my mate at CNN. Confidentially: (i) the WHO report is going to bedelayed a bit; (ii) Peter Embarek and Daszak seem to be leaking stuff to the press (my mate reckons that Daszak may have burned his bridges with China); (iii) in turns out that the 1st documented patient is in fact Dec 8th and not Dec 1st. The parents of that patient have a link to a different wet market in Wuhan. Not sure if that means anything;(iv) there were seemingly 10 animal vendors at the Huanan market and apparently the Chinese have not tested animals from the base of the chain that leads to these vendors...the base is animals from southern China (Yunnan, Guangdong…

**[2021-02-20T15:12:42] Kristian G. Andersen:** Oh, very exciting - thanks for the update Eddie! This bit "the base is animals from southern China" is key - and I think something Peter was excited about as well.

**[2021-02-20T15:14:54] Andrew Rambaut:** But they would say that wouldn't they.

**[2021-02-20T15:15:25] Andrew Rambaut:** They are leaking on behalf of CCP

**[2021-02-20T15:15:45] Andrew Rambaut:** Or it was frozen salmon or something

**[2021-02-20T15:17:47] Kristian G. Andersen:** Haha.

**[2021-02-20T15:18:09] Kristian G. Andersen:** Just enough edge to not come directly from the CCP :wink:

**[2021-02-20T15:18:32] Robert F. Garry:** (i) I think one could sense a little tension when Tedros said all hypotheses were still open. Not too surprising they can't agree on precise wording, but unfortunately delays fueling up the tinfoil hats. Would not be surprised if there wasn't a bit of pushback from multiple govts. (ii) One presumes Embarek is clearing things with WHO. Dazak is aloose cannon - sorta held it together for a NYTimes interview - otherwise not so good. (iii) I'm guessing a lot ofpeople have links to various wet markets. What's perhaps just as relevant - the missing of any link to WIV. IF there were links of ANY of the early cases to WIV or any other labs in Wuhan I am dubious that this could be covered upeven in…

**[2021-02-20T15:39:45] Kristian G. Andersen:** @Robert Garry - are the figures for the google doc available somewhere?

**[2021-02-20T15:42:12] Robert F. Garry:** Fig 2 [shared file(s): CoV Mosaic v3 minus HA379-363 copy.pdf]

**[2021-02-20T15:42:30] Robert F. Garry:** Fig 1

**[2021-02-20T15:44:34] Robert F. Garry:** Fig 1 [shared file(s): new asian bat covs 2-6-21a copy.pdf]

**[2021-02-20T15:53:22] Kristian G. Andersen:** These are great figures. Isn't it funny that the indel with the really important site is somehow super mysterious to the tinfoil hats, while the many other indels aren't? :thinking_face:

**[2021-02-20T16:06:08] Kristian G. Andersen:** Looks great Bob - ready to post from my standpoint.

**[2021-02-20T16:10:47] Edward C. Holmes:** Bob - can I have one more look over it today? Then post tomorrow?

**[2021-02-20T16:13:52] Edward C. Holmes:** I think the WIV is totally off the agenda for the WHO. My contacts say that the Chinese have been not looking into either. Let's face it, identifying a lab weak from WIV is a Yale lock with a credit card for the security services and yet they have fuck all.

**[2021-02-20T16:52:18] Andrew Rambaut:** Sorry to keep doing this to you Bob but have you any thoughts on A701V ? Close enough to FCS to have an effect?

**[2021-02-20T16:52:33] Andrew Rambaut:** Or just a nothing.

**[2021-02-20T17:24:05] Robert F. Garry:** No problem at all - please keep the questions coming. I think the A701V could just be random. A to V a pretty conservative change, but A82V in Ebola virus was a pretty big deal. It's in the region between S1/S2 and S2' so itgets "cut out" during entry - some thoughts that the cutout peptide could have some "activity." Maybe, but it could just be a "spacer," Not close enough to the FCS to have an effect.