Lab leaks, mismanagement and cover-ups

The U.S. Covid-19 report published on 2 December reveals public health corruption, unscientific policies, and erosion of trust. So what next?

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The 520-page report exposes examples of U.S. health officials making unscientific recommendations, such as mask mandates and school closures for children, which eroded public trust in leadership.

Published by the Special Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on the Coronavirus Pandemic, it highlights corruption at high levels within the U.S. public health system. Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), chair of the subcommittee, stressed the need for accountability, transparency, honesty, and integrity to restore trust and ensure a united, unbiased response to future pandemics.

Lessons learned

The result of a two-year investigation, this report serves as a roadmap for the government and private sector to prepare and respond better to future pandemics. It compiles lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, based on 25 hearings, over 30 interviews, and the review of more than one million pages of documents. The report presents more than 100 findings across various topics, such as the origins of COVID-19, taxpayer spending, and government officials' cooperation in investigations. It also touches on significant failures, such as the likelihood of the virus originating from a lab leak in Wuhan, mismanagement by health agencies, and the societal harm caused by unscientific lockdowns and school closures.

Fauci under fire

Key findings include the lab-leak theory, which suggests the virus likely emerged from gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, funded through U.S. taxpayer dollars via the EcoHealth Alliance. The report criticizes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its allergy and infectious diseases division (NIAID), led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, for failing to oversee EcoHealth’s work and their delays in reporting dangerous experiments.

The report also denounces prolonged school closures and lockdowns, which were not supported by scientific evidence, as well as the inconsistent stance on masks and social distancing. For example, Dr. Fauci admitted that the six-foot social distancing guideline "just happened to emerge" without solid scientific backing. It further criticizes the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) for failing to fairly or transparently address COVID-19 vaccine injury claims, which undermines public trust. The authors emphasize that discussing vaccine injuries should not be seen as anti-vaccine.

Cover-ups, evasion and obstruction

The document highlights deliberate obstruction of evidence by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other officials, including Dr. Fauci's senior advisor, Dr. David Morens, who allegedly destroyed sensitive emails and used private accounts to evade accountability. Similarly, Peter Daszak, head of EcoHealth Alliance, reportedly obstructed the investigation and likely provided false statements to the committee.

It concludes with a call for further inquiry and honest action to address unresolved issues, with Senator Rand Paul pledging to continue investigating risky research and ensuring independent oversight of federally funded projects.

Time for a better way

Does this report, together with the Make America Healthy Again campaign, herald a positive shift in public health policy for the U.S.? We sincerely hope so.

Off the back of this analysis of what went wrong, we invite U.S. politicians to leverage our now considerable resources on how to do it right. Our policy document, ‘Preventing the abuse of public emergencies’ may be a good place to start. It’s available to download for free via our website. Consider sending it to your representative today.

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