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I think there is confusion on what the author meant by "leaked". The Delta variant was already spreading, yes. The author is saying - and the first link above e

I think there is confusion on what the author meant by "leaked". The Delta variant was already spreading, yes. The author is saying - and the first link above essentially states this - that a lab worker was infected with Delta while in a lab. (Though it's not stated whether that worker was quarantined immediately, or if they could have possibly spread it to others.) So what's the point? 1,000,001 people have Delta instead of 1,000,000? No. The point is to show that Covid infections are indisputably already happening in labs. And if there is a GoF lab that creates a new variant, it logically follows that it is possible for that new variant to escape. So instead of the not-so-bad 1,000,001 vs 1,000,000 Taiwan scenario, you could have a disastrous 1 vs 0 scenario.

klipt 5y ago
I'm guessing it's impossible to get the lab leak rate down to 0. And assuming there are currently thousands of labs studying covid, even with a low leak rate there could be some leaks. But of an already existing virus, so not so bad.
- medimikka 5y ago
  If it can happen in a lab studying an existing type, it can happen in labs studying GoF. The 1977 pandemic was a "leak" of sorts that seems to have originated from a prisoner camp known to give reduced sentence times to inmates willing to participate in medical research. The "leaking" doesn't have to happen from a vial or mouse, the avenues are numerous (Marburg "leaked" when African green monkeys, imported for non-viral research, were handled incorrectly without infectious precautions). > But of an already existing virus, so not so bad. Millions of drivers every day. Hundreds of accidents. Many quite light. Still, the presence of light accidents outlines the possibility of heavy ones. And that's why "phew, got lucky this time" should lead to better protection not a "not so bad, nothing happened" attitude, IMHO.

klipt 5y ago

I'm guessing it's impossible to get the lab leak rate down to 0. And assuming there are currently thousands of labs studying covid, even with a low leak rate there could be some leaks. But of an already existing virus, so not so bad.

medimikka 5y ago
If it can happen in a lab studying an existing type, it can happen in labs studying GoF. The 1977 pandemic was a "leak" of sorts that seems to have originated from a prisoner camp known to give reduced sentence times to inmates willing to participate in medical research. The "leaking" doesn't have to happen from a vial or mouse, the avenues are numerous (Marburg "leaked" when African green monkeys, imported for non-viral research, were handled incorrectly without infectious precautions). > But of an already existing virus, so not so bad. Millions of drivers every day. Hundreds of accidents. Many quite light. Still, the presence of light accidents outlines the possibility of heavy ones. And that's why "phew, got lucky this time" should lead to better protection not a "not so bad, nothing happened" attitude, IMHO.