FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 15, 2021
Contact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wrote to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), encouraging him to respond to a commentary piece in the Wall Street Journal titled, The Science Suggests a Wuhan Lab Leak. The commentary piece was written by Steven Quay, MD, PhD and Richard Muller.

“Finding the true origins of Covid-19 are of the utmost importance,” wrote the senators. “Over 3.7 million people have died across the globe from this virus. We must find the truth to ensure this never happens again. Furthermore, if this virus was engineered in a lab and released into the world, we must hold those responsible to account.”

Dr. Paul and Sen. Graham asked Dr. Fauci to comment on two scientific issues raised in the Wall Street Journal commentary.

“CoV-2, which is the novel coronavirus that leads to the COVID-19 disease contains a special genome sequence which is not only the least likely to be found in nature but also the most likely to be created through gain-of-function experiments,” wrote the senators. “This genome sequence which Dr. Quay and Mr. Muller refer to as “double CGG” has never been found in nature.”

“Do you agree with the authors’ assertion, that the double CGG sequence is strong evidence that this virus originated in a lab? If not, what are the counter arguments to their conclusions?”

The second issue from the senators dealt with “viral improvement” and differences between COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses such as MERS and SARS.

“When MERS and SARS arose ‘they evolved rapidly as they spread through the human population, until the most contagious forms dominated. COVID-19 didn’t work that way. It appeared in humans already adapted into an extremely contagious version. No serious viral ‘improvement’ took place until a minor variation occurred many months later in England,'” wrote the senators.

“Such early optimization is unprecedented, and it suggests a long period of adaption that predated its public spread. Science knows of only one way that could be achieved: simulated natural evolution, growing viruses on human cells until the optimum is achieved. That is precisely what is done in gain-of-function research.”

The full letter is attached HERE.

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