CNN —
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday suspended funding to the EcoHealth Alliance, a virus research organization linked to controversy over the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19. The agency also proposed blocking the group from receiving federal funds, possibly for several years.
Before the emergence of Covid-19, a U.S. government grant to EcoHealth was funding research into bat coronaviruses at a lab in Wuhan, China. Although no U.S.-funded research at the institute was related to the pandemic, the U.S. stopped funding EcoHealth in 2020. The subsidy was then reinstated. Since then, US funding to the Wuhan lab has been blocked.
In a new letter to the EcoHealth Alliance and its president, Dr. Peter Daszak, HHS lists 30 pieces of information, some dating back to 2013, to support its decision. HHS said in the memo that EcoHealth failed to “adequately monitor” virus growth in experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and that the viruses studied there “appear to be growing above acceptable thresholds.” It notified the National Institutes of Health and said it was specified in the grant and requested offerings. Deliver information in a timely manner.
“HHS believes there is sufficient evidence in the record as to the reasons for this disbarment and that immediate action is necessary to protect the public interest,” said HHS Suspension and Debarment Officer Henrietta. Brisbon said in the letter.
A spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance said in a statement that EcoHealth Alliance is “disappointed by today’s HHS decision and we intend to contest the proposed ban.” We strongly disagree with this decision and intend to refute each of these claims and present evidence showing that NIH’s continued support of the EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest. ”
An HHS Office of Inspector General report last year found that despite the potential risks of research conducted through EcoHealth grants, the group was slow to report information and the NIH failed to follow up. It turns out. EcoHealth Alliance says it was unable to access the NIH reporting system due to technical issues, but a new HHS action memo states that the forensic report shows the group was “never locked out of the system.” It is said that it was found that
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Earlier this month, House members questioned Daszak about EcoHealth’s record on research and safety, including its Wuhan lab. Ohio Republican Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said in a statement Wednesday that the investigation into EcoHealth and the origins of COVID-19 “is far from over.” said.
Scientists, intelligence officials and lawmakers continue to research and investigate the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19. Previous scientific studies suggest that the virus that causes Covid-19 likely arose naturally at a seafood market in Wuhan, but the specific origin has not been determined. . U.S. intelligence agencies say the coronavirus may have originated in a laboratory or in the wild.
