The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which studied RaTG13, is not the same thing as the Wuhan CDC. Two points about RaTG13: 1. RaTG13 is not the progenitor of SAR

The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which studied RaTG13, is not the same thing as the Wuhan CDC. Two points about RaTG13: 1. RaTG13 is not the progenitor of SARS-CoV-2. It's not even the closest known relative any more. A closer relative has since been found in the wild, in bats in Laos. 2. RaTG13 doesn't even exist in live form in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It only exists there as data on a hard drive, obtained by sequencing traces of RNA in a swab taken from a bat in the wild. A replicating form of the virus has never actually obtained. It's much more difficult to isolate a replicating virus than it is to sequence RNA in a sample. In fact, the WIV has only ever isolated three SARS-like viruses, all of which are publicly known and have been heavily publicized by the WIV (because it's a big deal, scientifically, and reflects well on them).