China’s delay in publishing the Covid-19 gene sequence during the early days of the pandemic has come under scrutiny by a Republican-led US congressional committee. According to the committee’s findings, China withheld the publication of a Sars-CoV-2 gene sequence, causing a delay of approximately two weeks in the release of crucial information about the virus that causes Covid-19.
The inquiry, led by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, revealed that a Chinese researcher submitted a sequence of Sars-CoV-2 to GenBank, the National Institutes of Health’s genetic sequence database, on December 28, 2019. GenBank is operated by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). This genetic sequence, which serves as a code representing the virus’s genetic building blocks, is essential for the development of diagnostic test kits.
Interestingly, a letter from an official at the US Department of Health and Human Services, dated December 21, 2023, confirmed that another Chinese researcher, Dr. Lili Ren, submitted a gene sequence to GenBank on the same day as the previously mentioned submission. The letter stated that Dr. Ren’s sequence was “nearly identical” to the one published by GenBank on January 12, 2020. However, the additional information requested by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information was never received, and in the interim, another submission from a different researcher was received and published on January 12, 2020. This submission provided the genetic sequence for Sars-CoV-2, which was almost identical to the one submitted by Dr. Ren.
The initial genome sequence of the Wuhan coronavirus, from which Sars-CoV-2 originated, was released by Professor Yong-Zhen Zhang of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre and School of Public Health, Fudan University. However, it is worth noting that the laboratory at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre was ordered to temporarily close for “rectification” shortly after Professor Zhang’s team published the genome sequence on open platforms.
The report by the House committee also shed light on Dr. Ren’s professional affiliation. She is identified as “an accomplished virologist at the Institute of Pathogen Biology of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing.” Additionally, it was revealed that she is a current subgrantee of the non-profit organization EcoHealth Alliance, working on the same grant as the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). The WIV has been debarred from receiving grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) for ten years due to its failure to provide requested laboratory records.
When asked about the committee’s report, the spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, did not directly address the accusation made by Representative McMorris Rodgers. Instead, he emphasised that China’s response to Covid-19 has been science-based and guided by a people-first and life-first philosophy. Liu stated that China’s policies are effective, consistent with the country’s national realities, and can stand the test of history.
Both US lawmakers from both parties and President Joe Biden’s administration have criticised China for its lack of transparency regarding the early spread of Covid-19. The blame for the disagreement among US government agencies over the origins of the virus has been placed on China by administration officials. Republicans, in particular, have been vocal in their criticism of US agencies for granting funds to Chinese research institutes, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where some lawmakers believe Sars-CoV-2 may have originated.
The revelation of China’s delay in publishing the Covid-19 gene sequence raises questions about the transparency and cooperation of the Chinese government during the early stages of the pandemic. The timely sharing of crucial scientific information is vital for global efforts to understand, combat, and mitigate the impact of infectious diseases. This new development adds to the ongoing debate surrounding the origins of the virus and highlights the need for greater international collaboration and information sharing in the face of future pandemics.
