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The Fauci-hating in this thread is beyond unhelpful. > Generally, the overlap between the genomes of the viruses in the lab and that of SARS-CoV-2 was no more
by BrianOnHN 5y ago
The Fauci-hating in this thread is beyond unhelpful.
> Generally, the overlap between the genomes of the viruses in the lab and that of SARS-CoV-2 was no more than 80%.
> In evolutionary terms, that’s a chasm. In their critical review, the international group of virologists note that SARS-CoV-2 and its closest known relatives have an overlap of about 96%. That “equates to decades of evolutionary divergence,” they wrote.
That's the TLDR, which wouldn't come across from most the anti-Fauci comments.
- bananabiscuit 5y agoSome questions about these statements: are they based on what was seen in the WIV database before it got taken down in September of 2019? Independent of that, how can we be sure WIV isn’t just withholding genomes that are more closely related to SARS-CoV-2?
- LatteLazy 5y agoIt's worth noting too that that 4% diff is equally distributed across the genome. Gain of function (or any other engineered pathogen) would be using CRISPR etc to change just the few vital parts like the spike protein. Not going in and making 100 other random pointless edits for no reason.
- paulddraper 5y agoEvolutionary changes could have happened as well.
- kcplate 5y agoMy issue with Fauci is this—why would an 80+ year old man at least a decade beyond average US retirement age, who has a microphone to literally the whole world in all of 2020 specifically choose to NOT become a whistleblower if the Trump administration was eschewing his advice (he who is the US authority on pandemics for decades) to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of dead? Forget gain of function. Forget lab leak. Forget emails. Forget intentionally misleading mask efficacy to preserve health care supplies. All of that is nothing compared to staying silent when a single interview could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
- tzs 5y agoI recall reading several articles over the course of the pandemic in the mainstream press that reported on Dr. Fauci's recommendations and reported on how the Trump Administration was not following them. I don't see how there could be a whistleblower opportunity there.
- kcplate 5y agoTrump is president, Fauci supports him https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/01/metro/dr-fauci-says-he-president-trump-are-same-team-five-takeaways-good-morning-america-interview/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/01/metro/dr-fauci-says-h... Biden is president, completely different story: https://www.vox.com/2021/1/21/22243155/fauci-trump-shade-coronavirus-biden-briefing https://www.vox.com/2021/1/21/22243155/fauci-trump-shade-cor... We have here a man that willing participated in a piss poor pandemic response, despite on multiple occasions offering a half hearted contrarian view but still ultimately supporting the president publicly. As soon as Trump is out, turns tail. He is a coward, as soon as his job was safe his story changed. Could have, should have done more and didn’t. Ultimately we have an octogenarian who wanted to protect his job more than the American public. I have no respect for someone like that. It’s shameful.