Slack / Private Message Drop — page 1009

>> The researchers collected 1716 PCR procurement contracts from 2007 to the end of 2019 in Hubei province. And by comparison the monthly average of PCR purchases in other provinces didn't dramatically rise in 2019, per the study. [2021-09-29 04:47:03] [Andrew Rambaut] You definitely don't use PCR for anything but COVID [2021-09-29 04:47:10] [Robert Garry] The whole thing is rather fishy though. What does "procurement contracts for the test" mean? [2021-09-29 04:50:47] [Andrew Rambaut] By the way - your graph has the y axis in Yaun x 10-6 which isn't really that much money :wink: [2021-09-29 04:51:33] [Andrew Rambaut] Anyway - you said before that this was for equipment? I think Sanjay or whoever misunderstands that a 'PCR test' is basically reagents. [2021-09-29 04:52:35] [Andrew Rambaut] The 2019 figure is basically $1M [2021-09-29 04:56:41] [Andrew Rambaut] If you were setting up a big genomic surveillance lab you could spend that much on machines quite easily [2021-09-29 04:58:06] [Andrew Rambaut] The UK spent £22B on setting up the COVID testing system. [2021-09-29 04:59:13] [Andrew Rambaut] Obviously if there was any documentary evidence they were ordering PCR primers for SARS-like coronavirus that would be a game changer [2021-09-29 05:03:28] [Eddie Holmes] It would be, although the idea that no one said a single word about this on public and social media until December perhaps argues against. I'm sure this is in no way related to the fact that Wuhan held a number of major events in 2019 inc. the World Military Games, and might perhaps have wanted testing systems in place for the outbreaks that often follow mass gatherings. [2021-09-29 05:05:12] [Robert Garry] Also well documented that the Hubei Province Districts Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (May-Dec 2019) was moving into new building near the Huanan market in 2019 - they probably got themselves some new PCR machines then. The WIV also something of a work in progress so there are reasons that there amy have been bumps in equipment purchases then. [2021-09-29 05:09:36] [Andrew Rambaut]