Robert F. Garry

And Kristian welcome to this rather exclusive "club." Hooper write; "But for Kristian Andersen to claim that the workby his colleagues and himself "rules out" the lab origin theory, and for Josie Golding to claim that it "end[s] any speculation" along such lines, is clearly premature and inaccurate.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.11 · original PDF · in context

I believe that as itstands at present, the lab origin hypothesis is at least as plausible a hypothesis as that of origin from Wuhanbushmeat."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.11 · original PDF · in context

"My first look at the virus suggested that the pattern of distribution of sequence variation across the genome looked natural, but that may too broad brush." ProfBill has a new long read on Virological on this topic - synonymous mutations look very normal from bat to pangolin.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.24 · original PDF · in context

@Eddie Holmes The remarkable thing about this little rant is that he seems to be implying that he was running the two PCR tests POTUS mentions as well as the BioFire HIMSELF.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.28 · original PDF · in context

"_However, since we observed all notable SARS-CoV-2 features, including the optimized RBD and polybasic cleavage site, in related coronaviruses in nature, we do not believe that *any* type of laboratory-based scenario isplausible."_

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.29 · original PDF · in context

"CGTN is a propaganda organ for the Chinese government" Lot of that going around these days - I wonder if the 9 foot green spacewomen would be able to discern the difference with Fox Spews or any other Murdoch related garbage.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.37 · original PDF · in context

What has happened is that case numbers have dropped in Italy, no doubt because of "some of the most rigidlockdown restrictions introduced anywhere on the continent.""The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutelyinfinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago." This is almost certainly due to the fact that in the early days of the outbreak in Italy a larger percentage of very sick individuals we tested by the qPCRS.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.47 · original PDF · in context

Here's one example:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30232-2/fulltext"The mean viral load of severe cases was around 60 times higher than that of mild cases, suggesting that higher viral loads might be associated with severe clinical outcomes."Anecdotes are not science and shouldn't drive public health policy - particularly during a pandemic.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.47 · original PDF · in context

That would help toexplain the otherwise puzzling extreme infectivity of Covid-19 and hence also help to explain the social epidemiologyof its spread." *Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be: Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.53 · original PDF · in context

Just a reminder that HKU1 and OC43 spikes also have big predicted mucin-like domains in "place" of the ACE-2 RBD.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.55 · original PDF · in context

Sorry - messed up the links above - the elife paper does a considerable amt of arm waving over an 8 amino acid homology -the furin site - but "interesting" that the furin site in both SARS-CoV-2 and ENaC-
has predicted O-linked glycans PLUS ENaC-
has another proline, serine, threonine rich stretch - a likely mucin domain - OC43 and HKU1 Spike also have this.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.57 · original PDF · in context

"RTT plot for Ebola is super interesting" Agree - how do the RBDs align on the different branches?

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.57 · original PDF · in context

She has won two PulitzerPrizes, for her series "The DNA Age", and as part of a team for the series "How Race Is Lived inAmerica." @amy_harmon • Facebook

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.62 · original PDF · in context

Laurie Garrett was just on the teevee and said that if social distancing etc had not been implemented a half a billion people would be dead now or dead shortly from now.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.62 · original PDF · in context

"Disease ecologist Peter Daszak, president of the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance in Manhattan, said the Harvard study"is absolutely fascinating."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.64 · original PDF · in context

Whereas the article in Nature Medicine_ _was written by senior virologists, one author, John Fredrik Moxnes, the chief scientific adviser to the Norwegian military, has already withdrawn his name from the paper cited by Dearlove - while scientists from the Francis Crick institute and Imperial College London also dismissed its conclusions." I think he's calling us old, but whatever....

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.67 · original PDF · in context

"exactly where they inserted it experimentally in SARS" Sure - but that site with the single R is a required cleavage site - if you're going to convert to a furin site then adding RRA at that exact position is the only thing that makes sense - or even RRAR to make it a super-optimal site like Nunberg did - what would not make sense is to stick aproline in and then to do the whole insertion out-of-frame.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.69 · original PDF · in context

"We have two choices: just ignore it or make a group response...it's up to the WIV to deal with this, not us." I agreewe should ignore this BBC effort and whomever they've co-opted for their show.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.77 · original PDF · in context

Whether such experiments may be worthy of pursuit or would have a beneficial impact on timelines for vaccine development needs careful evaluation by an independent panel of ethicists, clinical trialists, and experts on vaccine development.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.89 · original PDF · in context

Passing RaTG13 in human cells would not have generated the pangoCoV RBD.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.95 · original PDF · in context

Could be the straw that pushes us to Proximal Origin 2 perhaps...

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.95 · original PDF · in context

Speaking of "nice" - Mikovitz is back https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7kpe3b/the-star-of-plandemic-spent-years-flooding-the-vaccine-court-system-with-bad-science

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.107 · original PDF · in context

It's an OK response - she probably had to consult a lawyer to allow use of the term "disappointing, if." Consider thisa successful immunization if DT tries to push this further with Nature or if DT tries for some other journalist.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.126 · original PDF · in context

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fauci-quote-hydroxychloroquine/ In-box is filling up with VJ "stuff."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.131 · original PDF · in context

"Bob and I are now officially in the same 'Family' as the Grand Wizard of EgoHealth." This make me more than a "little bit nauseous," but so be it.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.151 · original PDF · in context

Related - worried about ongoing vaccine trials - rumbles are could all be major disasters inprogress under the hot spotlights [human and animal versions].

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.154 · original PDF · in context

Attached please find a formal request for retraction of the Nature Medicine article, "The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2." Representatives of Nature Medicine, the Springer Group, the authors and their associated institutions, and relevant medical journal affiliates have been copied in this request.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.156 · original PDF · in context

Good thing "Xander" appears not to have a clue about FOIA, actually something that can't be round-filed.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.157 · original PDF · in context

What I think will happen is that in the pursuit of objectivity Lancet's team will fell obliged to swipe"mightily" at Proximal Origins (cause GVP is a scam, we know it and we're noncoronavirologists) and present asuper-lame counter to Yan/Chan.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.180 · original PDF · in context

Maybe it's my mean streak, maybe it's just that I think that Daszak is going to screw it up or maybe I think the RBG September surprise has shook up the Presidential race, but the "*IT ESCAPED FROM WIV*" crowd is empowered not depowered at the moment - science literally bedamned.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.185 · original PDF · in context

And the expertise of the Chinese government and their laboratories found that the virus was changed to specifically target humans in the laboratory.As for whether there is a vaccine for Wuhan pneumonia in China, Yan Limeng pointed out that China uses traditionalmethods to produce the virus, but vaccine development and antidote are another matter.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.188 · original PDF · in context

"First of all, this (virus) isan enhanced version of SARS-1..., but until today We know that there is still no vaccine for SARS-1." Regarding the future global epidemic, she said: "(The virus) has caused a historical pandemic.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.188 · original PDF · in context

Anther thing Wakefield taught Daszak was the power of science by press conference: "Although the paper said thatno causal connection had been proven, before it was published, Wakefield made statements at a press conference and in a video news release issued by the hospital, calling for suspension of the triple MMR vaccine until more research could be done.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.196 · original PDF · in context

Trump begins quarantine as close aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus President Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity during a live interview Thursday night that he and the first lady were tested after they learned about Hicks and were planning to quarantine.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.201 · original PDF · in context

"could any standard patient lead to these events, or does it take something special" It's probably both - put your standard patient in the right situation [like the WH gala or a bar]- they will SS.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.212 · original PDF · in context

RBD (residues 319-591) and "HexaPro" S (Hsieh et al., 2020)were transiently transfected into FreeStyle 293-F cells.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.214 · original PDF · in context

In order to be promoted from associate professor toprofessor, they can be more "developed" in the mainstream science world, and they can ignore the life and death ofthe world. dignity.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.219 · original PDF · in context

It an old song, but true today "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am,.." https://www.organicconsumers.org/blog/gain-function-ghouls-sars-cov-2-isnt-scariest-thing-could-leak-lab "It's been less than a year since SARS-2 somehow escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, infecting millions, triggering serious illness and death among the elderly (especially those in nursing homes) and those with serious pre-existing chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart, lung and liver disease), and melting down the global economy."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.223 · original PDF · in context

If we can get Trump to tweet about how "Proximal Origins authors paid off with CCP honeys," we'll be back at #1 on Altmetric in no time.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.227 · original PDF · in context

I'd add to Kristian's list TV science "experts" [especially those that fake the disease they are spreading disinformation about], outbreak culture in general and - related to the latter - "science" by Zenado/internet [Yan}/twitter {Chan}.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.229 · original PDF · in context

Alina's new BFFs: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1320376404102377472.html "Unpublished passage experiment in either human cells or humanized mice, which resulted in the accidental "sampling" of internal GOF work that were then erroneously reported as a "coronavirus infection" in the pangolin samples, leading to the Viruses paper by Liu et al."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.231 · original PDF · in context

Maybe just a coincidence but Alina is recommending this "Jess." I'm still waiting for my pity award, but a nice wad ofcash from CCP would do as well I suppose. [shared file(s): image.png]

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.247 · original PDF · in context

One example of many logical fallacies [https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-logical-fallacies-know/] is the strawman: "Scientists who are convinced of the natural origin base their belief on *Occam's razor*: epidemics from the past have shown that these things do happen in nature, so the simplest explanation is that it happened this time too."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.259 · original PDF · in context

Would be "ironic" if a poorlydone epi projection, an old HCQ paper from VJ and a not-so-well done mask study all beat out Proximal Origins onAltmetric....

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.263 · original PDF · in context

*Naturally occurring indels in multiple coronavirus spikes* *Introduction* Proponents of theories for the unnatural origin of SARS-CoV-2 have asserted that the 12 nucleotide insert in the SARS-CoV-2 spike gene, which results in acquisition of a furin cleavage site, may have arisen by laboratory manipulation (Relman, 2020; Segreto and Deigin, 2020; Seyran et al., 2020; Sirotkin and Sirotkin, 2020).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Here, wecompile evidence demonstrating that that insertion/deletion (indel) events at the S1/S2 and S2' protease cleavage sites of the spike precursor are commonly occurring natural features of coronavirus evolution.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

O-linked glycosylation sites were predicted by Net-O-Glyc v. 4.0 (Steentoft et al., 2013).*Results* While recent analyses suggest the existence of as yet unsampled sarbecovirus lineages, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 and recently described coronaviruses isolated from pangolins share common ancestors with the bat sarbecovirus RaTG13 (Boni et al., 2020).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

HKU24, OC43 and Betacoronavirus 1spikes have optimal furin cleavage sites (Fig. 1A).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Furin cleavage sites are present in spikes of other coronaviruses.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Type I feline coronavirus spikes have an optimal furin cleavage site, whereas Type II feline coronavirus spikes lack either a monobasic or polybasic cleavage site at theS1/S2 junction (Fig. 1C).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Relative to Type II feline coronavirus spikes, the optimal furin cleavage sites in Type Ispikes are included in 17 or 18 amino acid insertion at the S1/S2 junction.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Type I feline coronavirus spikes have a monobasic cleavage site at S2', whereas feline coronaviruses have three amino acid indel at S2'.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Some avian gammacoronavirus spikes have predicted O-linked glycans at the S1/S2cleavage site.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Avian gammacoronavirus spikes display sequence variability at the S2' cleavage site; most are monobasic, but infectious bursal disease strain Beaudette spike has acquired an optimal furin cleavage site.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

The S2'site of Infectious bursal disease virus variant SES_15SK spike provides an example of a predicted O-linked glycosylation site that is associated with a monobasic cleavage site.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Because the evolutionary history ofgammacoronaviruses is not well-described, it cannot be inferred whether or not evolution of their S1/S2 or S2' spike cleavage sites has involved insertions or deletions. *Discussion* Furin cleavage sites have been generated naturally in the spike proteins of members of at least 3 of 4orthocoronavirus genuses, including three betacoronavirus subgenuses, via insertions and/or deletions.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

These observation stand in direct contrast to proponents of theories that SARS-CoV-2 has a nonnatural origin.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

A recent analysis by one of us (WRG) suggests that this variability is facilitated by short oligonucleotide "breakpointsequences" that direct recombination to certain positions in the genome (Gallaher, 2020b).Further evidence for the natural origin of the furin cleavage site in the SARS-CoV-2 spike is the observation that the indels in other coronavirus spikes often encode sequences with a propensity for O-linked glycosylation.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

However, the frequency that the O-glycosylation sites are predicted across spike proteins from various genuses suggests that their presence in not due to chance.Mucin-like domains which contain O-linked glycans are characterized by an abundance of serines, theonines andprolines.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Turns potentially contribute to accessibility of furin cleavage sites, and therefore may be under positive selection.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

With notable exceptions, including a predicted mucin-like patch in the carboxy terminal domain ofembecovirus spikes, predicted O-glycans are rare in coronavirus spikes other than near cleavage sites.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

Whilecomputational algorithms such as Net-O-Glyc are capable of determining sites that are likely to be O-glycosylated,this pattern would not have been obvious to anyone constructing SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory, either for gain-of-function research or nefarious purposes.Previously one of us (WRG) presented additional strong evidence that the furin cleavage site insertion inSARS-CoV2 was generated via a natural process (Gallaher, 2020c).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

It is highly implausible that any scientist attempting to insert a furin cleavage site would do so by making an out-of-frame insertion.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.268 · original PDF · in context

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2011.12567.pdf "The article "The proximal origin of Sars-coV-2" (Andersen et al. 2020) is recurrently put forward as a proof for the natural origin of SARS-CoV-2.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.281 · original PDF · in context

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/12/04/vaccine-ethics-does-continuing-covid-19-trials-put-volunteers-risk/6473436002/ This was one reason I advocated for human challenge trials - those in the placebo arm remain "sitting ducks."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.293 · original PDF · in context

A major question that randomized "wild" trials will struggle to answer is whether vaccinees still produce enough virus to remain infectious if exposed.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.293 · original PDF · in context

So, you could have a situation where vaccinees are protected against serious disease, but are still able to transmit the virus to some degree.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.293 · original PDF · in context

@Covidfaker gets some ragtag "journalist" to file FOIA on me regarding grant funding about ever 6-12 months - it issimply to piss off funding agencies like NIH, who also have to waste a bloody lot of time.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.309 · original PDF · in context

"Or do we know of any asymptomatic shedders - which would allow for the transmission if the person was out and about?" This is the question we're going to answer one way or the other if the vaccines are not that good at sterilizing immunity (hopefully most are).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.313 · original PDF · in context

I don't fathom themechanisms, [maybe there's a precedent in noros or elsewhere] but it looks like the mutations in RBD and the FCS and elsewhere are "coordinated" in some way.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.322 · original PDF · in context

This assumes that WIV had the GD pangolin virus sequences or something similar from another animal (bat or other) and that they combined these viruses to create SC2 - this is the Yan/Bannon/Fox nonsense, but in reality it is not that different to what Alina/Drastic etc are proposing.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.323 · original PDF · in context

In civet SARS-CoV RBD (year 2002), residue 487 is a serine, which cannot provide favorable support for hot spot 353.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.333 · original PDF · in context

Hence, at least when considering the ACE2-RBD interactions, 2019-nCoV has gained some capability to transmit from human to human." It's not held uptoo well.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.333 · original PDF · in context

It did not appear to break the researcher's skin, but UNC told NIH in its reports that "given the uncertainty surrounding the exposure, we are treating this as a medium/high risk exposure." The researcher was instructed to self-quarantine and do twice-daily temperature checks.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.335 · original PDF · in context

https://jvi.asm.org/content/82/14/6984 Relevant paper: "They show that the major species barriers are determinedby interactions between four ACE2 residues (residues 31, 35, 38, and 353) and two RBD residues (residues 479and 487), that early civet SARS-CoV isolates were prevented from infecting human cells due to imbalanced saltbridges at the hydrophobic virus/receptor interface, and that SARS-CoV has evolved to gain sustained infectivity for human cells by eliminating unfavorable free charges at the interface through stepwise mutations at positions 479and 487."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.338 · original PDF · in context

Kristian asked why the change in SC1 was so fast - I think the answer is that civets are probably already sampling the mutational space of SC1 RBD residues 479 and 487 because these are important epitopes.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.341 · original PDF · in context

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7195303/ From this modeling NSP6 looks like a viroporin to me - would have to look at the exact deletion, but most viroporins are involved in virion entry and cytopathogenesis.Same wheelhouse as the RBD and FCS mutations.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.341 · original PDF · in context

"Two substitutions were detected in the consensus sequence of viruses collected from all ferrets ascompared to the sequence of the original virus isolate: N501T and S686G, both in the spike protein." So WoW, the mink N501T plus the residue AFTER the FCS.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.343 · original PDF · in context

I guess the question of "epistasis" between RBD and FCS and/or nsp6 mutations arises, but in my mind is more likely that all enhance replication independently.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.344 · original PDF · in context

Seems to me that the mutations fall into FIVE general classes, The ones that get the most attention and are likely key for interspecies transfer are of course the RBD mutations.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.348 · original PDF · in context

There is strong evidence for immune selection in the RBD and in the N-terminal domain epitopes.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.348 · original PDF · in context

Are they going to simply try [and fail] to write a "better" version of PO1?It's no wonder the general public is confused, especially with politicians like Trump and reporting like The Mail.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.354 · original PDF · in context

So knock out 1, 2 or 3 and yeah the efficacy of any vaccine is going to take a hit.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.361 · original PDF · in context

@Andrew Rambaut I know, but current consensus [Bloom, Rasmussen, even Fauci but he's always cagey] is that the existing vaccines will induce "polyclonal" immunity that will protect against viruses with just a few mutations.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.366 · original PDF · in context

I'm gonna break reviewer privacy because it's relevant to share an title of an article I just this minute was asked toreview: "Hypothesis of Potential Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 through Hybridization of SARS-CoV-1 withSaccharomyces cerevisiae and Mycobacterium avium naturally inside an immunocompromised Pangolin" Incredible.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.373 · original PDF · in context

To the point that the same mutations keep popping all over and @Andrew Rambaut "I think what is new is the combinations." EPI_ISL_792683 Airport Quarantine Station in Japan.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.375 · original PDF · in context

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/fda-to-weigh-half-dosing-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-operation-warp-speed-of ficial-says "These are all reasonable questions to consider and evaluate in clinical trials," the FDA said in a statement on Monday." I agree that the UK dosing strategy is wrong - half dosing makes much more sense with both the prime and the boast.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.380 · original PDF · in context

The half and third dosing was already considered in a clinical trial - Moderna's Phase Itrial.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.380 · original PDF · in context

Except for the insertion that generated the furin cleavage site, the RatG13 BatCov spike has each of the SARS-CoV2 spike insertions.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.392 · original PDF · in context

E484K is one of several mutations of known biological importance that is present in the B.1.351 and P1 lineages of emerging SARS-CoV2 variants. *Discussion* The generation of insertions or deletions (indels) in or near the furin cleavage site is a frequent occurrence during coronavirus evolution (Gallaher and Garry, 2020).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.392 · original PDF · in context

Passage of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells can result in deletion ofeither the furin cleavage site or a sequence immediately adjacent to it [ref].

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.392 · original PDF · in context

A previous analysis suggested that the insertion generating the furin cleavage sitein SARS-CoV-2 spike is out-of-frame.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.392 · original PDF · in context

Except for the insertion that generated the furin cleavage site, the RatG13 BatCov spike has each of the SARS-CoV2 spike insertions.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.393 · original PDF · in context

E484K is one of several mutations of known biological importance that is present in the B.1.351 and P1 lineages of emerging SARS-CoV2 variants. *Discussion* The generation of insertions or deletions (indels) in or near the furin cleavage site is a frequent occurrence during coronavirus evolution (Gallaher and Garry, 2020).

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.393 · original PDF · in context

Passage of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells can result in deletion ofeither the furin cleavage site or a sequence immediately adjacent to it [ref].

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.393 · original PDF · in context

A previous analysis suggested that the insertion generating the furin cleavage sitein SARS-CoV-2 spike is out-of-frame.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.393 · original PDF · in context

The most likely outcome a bunch of negative "data." 1. noepi links of early cases to WIV; 2. no smoking guns of closer relative than RaTG13 [bats, pangos, whatever]; 3. norecords of forced cell culture or animal passage of bat CoVs; 4. no record of accidents that could be spillovers.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.413 · original PDF · in context

It will also be crucial to understand the extent to which reinfection contributes to the forward transmission ofSARS-CoV-2 in previously exposed populations and the rising number of SARS-CoV-2 cases observed inAmazonas and other Brazilian states during December 2020 - January 2021."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.414 · original PDF · in context

!channel I suspect that the pending little virological post, which brings most of the PO1 band back together, on sucha hot topic will attract attention...an opportunity perhaps for a bit of public service messaging that "vaccines are not going to be a silver bullet."

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.419 · original PDF · in context

Yes, but I think your first approximation is pretty spot on - taking a look at the nucleotide alignment - maybe a case where the protein alignment gives a slightly different picture than the nucleotide alignment. - as ProfBill often saysyou can see the "wobble" codons.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.450 · original PDF · in context

Will fill more gaps - I should be able to share a draft of "New sequences disprove conspiracy theories of a laboratory-based proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2" over the weekend.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.461 · original PDF · in context

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, warned that Johnson & Johnson's trial results were a"wake up call" and warned manufacturers to be ready to reformulate the vaccines if needed."If ever there was reason to vaccinate as many people as expeditiously as we possibly can with the vaccine that wehave right now, now is the time," Dr.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.462 · original PDF · in context

Scientists still consider the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be a success: It was 85 percent effective inpreventing severe disease.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.462 · original PDF · in context

I think we said it more than a month back that *expectations for the vaccines were skyhigh and that needed to be walked back.* if Moderna and Pfizer trials had been run in ZA or Brazil I don't think their results would have been much different than Novavax and J&J.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.465 · original PDF · in context

This implies that the virus causing Covid-19 was already well adapted to infecting human beings, a point that was also suggested by the World Health Organization in its global study on the origins of Covid-19, published in November.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.488 · original PDF · in context

Of course, I also think it's time overdue for PO2.I'm pretty sure that we could properly refute the "quote" science of lab origins.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.489 · original PDF · in context

I*F WIV ALREADY* had SC2 or a virus 99% similar to SC2 and was working on it then Shi is the greatest cover-up artistever.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.493 · original PDF · in context

Binary choice - investigate or not investigate "lab origins." Not really a choice - you can't say don't consider it at all - though some of our peers on the Jan20 phone calls and in the peer review thought we shouldn't (and FWIW that review - oh origins is going to be out of date topic shortly - is not looking too prescient in hindsight.) Not defending the other Origins comments Bloom and Bedford have made - pretty disappointing.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.494 · original PDF · in context

"Especially for screening potential plasma donors or when *looking for the animal reservoir* it should be really useful." IIRC LinFa told Eddie he had some positive pangolins - this is the assay he likely used for the serology.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.498 · original PDF · in context

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl9nqcgD3ow&feature=emb_logo Maybe not surprising but most of the coverage is saying it still leaked from WIV - this BBC is about as "fair and balanced" as it gets.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.505 · original PDF · in context

And then there is this: "And *even Kristian Andersen*, a prominent US professor of immunology and microbiology who is dismissive of lab leak theories, said he does not find the data linking the virus to frozen foods to be "credible".https://unherd.com/2021/02/the-whos-covid-shame/

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.505 · original PDF · in context

Jesse, jesse jesse...Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, was "surprised to see some members of the team dismiss the accidental lab leak theory while seeming to suggest, without any specific evidence, the possibility that frozen food might have played a role." "I remain agnostic about the origins of SARS-CoV-2," said Bloom, referring to the official name of the virus.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.506 · original PDF · in context

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00375-7 "Scientists say the WHO team's advice to broaden the search for the virus origin beyond China is justified, especially given f*resh reports of coronaviruses closely related toSARS-CoV-2 found in bats in Japan, Cambodia and Thailand."*

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.506 · original PDF · in context

If they came out and said no epi links of early cases to WIV, then the conspiracy theorists will just cry cover-up.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.508 · original PDF · in context

So a lot of mutations could impact that - ones that make the virus adsorb better (like in the NTD) or bind to receptors in the RBD better (NellY, EriK) or infect better P681H/R come to mind.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.511 · original PDF · in context

As @Andrew Rambaut said above the only possibilty is that WIV et al.had SC2 itself or the immediate progenitor.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.513 · original PDF · in context

Dismiss with science of the new Cambo, Thai and Japan covs all the nonsense aboutrecombining RaTG13 and pango Covs, passage in cell culture, seemless engineering and get it down to someone had to have had *prior to the outbreak* either SC2 itself or its immediate progenitor with this new SC2-like RBD plus either the QTQNS or NSPAX/-R at the FCS.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.516 · original PDF · in context

"Description of the new genomes and what they mean for natural origins" is the better course.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.517 · original PDF · in context

This from an email list: Nigeria Health Watch: A reminder that Conspiracy Theories get amplified and have real world consequences such as increasing vaccine hesitancy (are you listening Tom Frieden?) Of course the conspiracy theories regarding the China virus are being used like a club by Trump Bannon Pompeo Fox news {going hard after Fauci who "funded WIV"} - not a good look so far from Biden admin (come on Eric L].

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.518 · original PDF · in context

They analyze the rise of conspiracy theories during public health crises like the current coronavirus pandemic and explore who is most vulnerable to conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines and why people display vaccine hesitancy.

Slack / Private Message Drop, p.518 · original PDF · in context