KEY POINTS

  • Fauci said there is no scientific evidence to prove that the coronavirus was man-made
  • He also denied the possibility that it was brought to the lab from the wild
  • He shot down the argument saying the virus evolved in nature and then jumped species

There is no scientific proof that the coronavirus was made by scientists in a Chinese lab, claimed Dr. Anthony Fauci during an interview with the National Geographic.

People everywhere have been debating if the deadly novel coronavirus was man-made by Wuhan scientists. In his interview, Dr. Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, shot down the raging discussion and called it "a circular argument."

“If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what's out there now, the scientific evidence is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated. Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that [this virus] evolved in nature and then jumped species,” Dr. Fauci told the National Geographic.

He did not entertain any other alternate theories that the coronavirus was found in the wild, brought to the Chinese lab which then escaped accidentally.

“But that means it was in the wild, to begin with. That's why I don't get what they're talking about and why I don't spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument,” he told the National Geographic.

He advised the public-at-large to learn to distinguish between real news and a fake one. He advised the public to make sure the study is published in reputable organizations including New England Journal of Medicine, Science, Nature, Cell or JAMA or other peer-reviewed publications since the editorial staff of these journals, he said, take things very seriously.

Dr. Fauci is worried that a second wave of the coronavirus infection might hit the nation this fall or winter if they fail to flatten the curve by summer.

He opined that the U.S. needs to ensure that there is an adequate supply of tests available before that happens. He also suggested that there should be a well-established system to make those tests available to those individuals who need it the most.

“Shame on us if we don't have enough tests by the time this so-called return might occur in the fall and winter. I don't think there's a chance that this virus is just going to disappear, it's going to be around, and if given the opportunity, it will resurge,” Dr. Fauci told the National Geographic.

He also advised that the U.S. should also focus on the following this summer:

  • Reinforce the nation’s health care system
  • Ensure the availability of hospital beds and ventilators
  • Ensure the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers
Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a briefing the virus was beginning to take root in the southern hemisphere, where winter is on its way
Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a briefing the virus was beginning to take root in the southern hemisphere, where winter is on its way AFP / MANDEL NGAN
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