免疫学家Fauci 和眼科医生 Rand Paul 关于新冠病毒起源问题再次交锋

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‘Egregiously Incorrect’: Immunologist Fauci And Eye Doctor Rand Paul Clash Over Covid Origins—Again​

BREAKING |Nov 4, 2021,01:00pm EDT|801 views

Updated Nov 4, 2021, 03:23pm EDT

TOPLINE​

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease official, went head-to-head yet again during a Senate hearing Thursday over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and controversial studies funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, clarifies ... [+]
POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS​

In a hearing held by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Paul accused the NIAID, which Fauci has led since 1984, of funding controversial “gain-of-function research,” at a Chinese lab in Wuhan.

The term references a method in which scientists modify pathogens to predict how they could evolve over time, though the method is often conflated with other types of research.

Paul called it a “risky” type of research that “could cause a pandemic even worse the next time,” a claim Dr. Fauci sternly refuted.
PROMOTED

Gain-of-function is “a very nebulous term,” Fauci said, noting that the research to which Paul referred does not fall under the “very clear guidelines” that define the controversial research.

Paul and others have cited the fact that the NIH provided funding to EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit that researched coronaviruses in bats, but there’s no evidence the group used gain-of-function research—though a moratorium on funding the research was lifted by the NIH in 2017.

Fauci also disputed Paul’s claim that the overwhelming majority of evidence indicates that the coronavirus pandemic was caused by a lab leak, saying that most virologists agree it was likely natural in origin, though a U.S. intelligence report declassified last week noted the cause of the pandemic will likely never be confirmed because of a lack of evidence.

During the Senate hearing, Dr. Fauci asserted that Paul said “so many things that are egregious misrepresentations . . . I don’t think I’d be able to refute all of them.”

KEY BACKGROUND​

Paul has initiated a series of tense interactions during Dr. Fauci’s appearances during Senate hearings. Along with research funding and the pandemic’s origins, the two have traded barbs on the efficacy of masking. Paul has been rallying for Dr. Fauci to step down or be fired from his position as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and as President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor.

FURTHER READING​

Fauci And Rand Paul Accuse Each Other Of Lying In Tense Testimony Over Covid Origins (Forbes)
Fauci And Sen. Rand Paul Spar Over Wuhan Lab Research And Covid-19 Origin (Forbes)
Dr. Fauci Denounces Sen. Paul’s ‘Dead Wrong’ Anti-Mask Message As Studies Show Variants Still Pose A Threat (Forbes)

I am a Texas native covering breaking news out of New York City. Previously, I was an editorial assistant at the Forbes London bureau.

‘Egregiously Incorrect’: Immunologist Fauci And Eye Doctor Rand Paul Clash Over Covid Origins—Again

Dr. Fauci denied Paul’s claims that the NIH funded dangerous research in Wuhan.

www.forbes.com