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Are you kidding? Of course the origin story of COVID matters, enormously. Knowing where a virus originated and whether it leaked from a lab accident or came to

Are you kidding? Of course the origin story of COVID matters, enormously. Knowing where a virus originated and whether it leaked from a lab accident or came to us through a natural cross-over is enormously important for clinical reasons and in the case of this vast global pandemic, for simple historical reasons of firmly establishing what happened and how right down to the first sequence of events. In no way is wanting to find that out a political sideshow if you have any notion of careful research and establishment of facts. People will be writing about the COVID pandemic for decades to come. It's absurd that you or anyone would dismiss something so basic as wanting to concretely know its origin. That sort of reasoning is a much more obvious example of politically motivated sideshow drama.

amanaplanacanal 5y ago
Is important for historians? How would it be important for "clinical reasons"?
- acrobatsunfish 5y ago
  If it's a lab, changing lab security and safety procedures would seem pretty important.
- rleigh 5y ago
  The most obvious reason would be this: preventing a repeat occurrence. We can't learn from our mistakes if we are prevented from finding out what the mistake was... If the virus did get released from a supposedly secure research facility, this has huge implications for research policy and biosecurity standards worldwide. If the virus did originate from gain-of-function research, this again has implications upon whether we permit it or ban it worldwide. It was already banned in the US and other Western nations on safety grounds; maybe it's not safe anywhere in the world given that it could result in a global pandemic. But without concrete evidence and open discussion, it won't be possible to make policy based upon rational discussion and decision-making. Given the global impact of the pandemic, it would behoove us to give such investigation a high priority, given its profound importance to our long-term health and prosperity.

amanaplanacanal 5y ago

Is important for historians? How would it be important for "clinical reasons"?

acrobatsunfish 5y ago
If it's a lab, changing lab security and safety procedures would seem pretty important.
rleigh 5y ago
The most obvious reason would be this: preventing a repeat occurrence. We can't learn from our mistakes if we are prevented from finding out what the mistake was... If the virus did get released from a supposedly secure research facility, this has huge implications for research policy and biosecurity standards worldwide. If the virus did originate from gain-of-function research, this again has implications upon whether we permit it or ban it worldwide. It was already banned in the US and other Western nations on safety grounds; maybe it's not safe anywhere in the world given that it could result in a global pandemic. But without concrete evidence and open discussion, it won't be possible to make policy based upon rational discussion and decision-making. Given the global impact of the pandemic, it would behoove us to give such investigation a high priority, given its profound importance to our long-term health and prosperity.