Slack / Private Message Drop — page 513

[2021-02-13 19:09:46] [Eddie Holmes] Good points about the serology. Dominic is a really good guy. Totally straight. everything that Daszak says sounds like spin. The paper is coming on nicely! [2021-02-14 07:15:31] [Kristian Andersen] 13 additional sequences from December? https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/02/14/health/who-mission-china-intl/index.html [2021-02-14 07:41:32] [Robert Garry] Good quotes Eddie! [2021-02-14 07:43:17] [Andrew Rambaut] Lets not forget that Imperial estimated 400-2000 (or thereabouts) at the beginning of January based on the exports. I am sure they were right. [2021-02-14 08:07:59] [Robert Garry] https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/politics-was-always-room-who-mission-chief-reflects-china-trip-seekingcovid-19-s Ben Embarek defended the much-debated press conference, *explained why the lab escape hypothesis has in fact not been ruled out,* and summarized what was learned about when, where, and how SARS-CoV-2 first infected humans. Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. [2021-02-14 08:11:19] [Robert Garry] *"Q: So it will be investigated further, just not by you and your team?* *A:* It's not something we're going to pursue in the coming weeks and months. But our assessment is out there, and the topic is on the table. This is to me a big achievement, because for the past year it was *Mission Impossible* to even discuss it or even put it on the table or on the agenda of any meeting or discussion". Where have I heard this before? [2021-02-14 09:26:29] [Kristian Andersen] Superb Q&A! [2021-02-14 10:38:35] [Robert Garry] When Embarek says to "even discuss it or even put it on the table or on the agenda of any meeting or discussion" was a *Mission Impossible,* I strongly suspect that it was not just the Chinese that were pushing back, but members of his own team. We correctly determined to include it in PO1 against the advice of at least one reviewer. Extremely unlikely sums it up *bordering* on impossible. As @Andrew Rambaut said above the only possibilty is that WIV et al. had SC2 itself or the immediate progenitor. To say this is to say they are pulling off the greatest conspiracy/cover-up in history. [2021-02-14 10:44:58] [Kristian Andersen] I already have the tinfoil hats swooping in - I missed them. [shared file(s): Screen Shot 2021-02-14 at 10.44.17 AM.png] [2021-02-14 10:54:22] [Robert Garry] [thread - ID: 2021-02-14 10:54:22]