Reading Room Production — page 191

VIL researchers traveled to Wuhan, nor wa DRAFT, PRE-DECISIONAL 1 CoV could replicate in Egyptian fruit bats. No RML researchers traveled to Wuhan, nor were any viruses brought back or shipped to RML. 4. NIH obtained Egyptian fruit bats from a zoo in Maryland, transported them across state lines to Montana, and experimented on them with a coronavirus. Facts: The work done at RML in 2016 used Egyptian fruit bats obtained by standard procurement and procedures and delivered to RML via a USDA approved animal provider with the appropriate permits in place. These bats were infected with WIV-1 to determine its ability to replicate in bats; it was found to be poorly able to do so in this experiment. 5. RML in Montana has a history of infected animals escaping, unauthorized people getting into the lab, and bioweapons development. Facts: This work was done in an RML facility first used in 20098. The facility contains high containment laboratories, employs the highest possible safety standards to protect scientists and the surrounding community. RML has a longstanding history of excellent biosafety and biocontainment practices with minimal incidents that have posed negligible to no risk to personnel or the community. There have been zero incidents of unauthorized individuals accessing any high or maximum containment labs. RML does not conduct research on bioweapons development. The referenced report of an infected animal escape was taken out of context from a mandatory regulatory report to the Federal Select Agent Program wherein which a rodent escaped from its home cage but remained contained in the BSL-4 lab and was subsequently recaptured. The animal remained within the BSL-4 primary containment barrier and never escaped the laboratory. 6. NIH is spending $125 million of COVID relief funds to expand its bat laboratories. Facts: The CARES Act provided funding specifically for the construction of NIAID vaccine and infectious disease research facilities, including the BSL-2 animal facility that will allow RML scientists to better respond to new and emerging pandemic threats. The facility is designed to enable research with a number of different types of animal models, not just bats. The animals housed at the BSL-2 facility could be subsequently used in experiments requiring BSL-3 or BSL-4 containment, as appropriate. These BSL-3 and -4 facilities are already existing at RML. UK Daily Mail Article Allegations 1. NIH infected 12 Egyptian fruit bats with a SARS-like virus called WIV-1 at RML in Montana in 2018. Facts: At RML, experimental studies to help understand if WIV-1 CoV could replicate in