Covid’s lab-leak theory has a new conspiracy – the US was involved! The truth about the Truth About Wuhan

One scroll on social media will tell you the latest, most sensational news of this week is the Covid-19 lab leak theory being revived by a new book and a new author. There is a twist to this theory this time and it's not all the boring same stuff. But how true is it? 

A new book, The Truth About Wuhan, by Dr Andrew Huff claims that the novel coronavirus FOR SURE was a result of a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. I can already hear conspiracy theorists salivating at their mouths! But hold your horses… of course, those who don't care about science could care less.

The claims by Dr Andrew Huff elicit more questions than answers:

• Who is Dr Andrew Huff? 

• Where is the scientific evidence? Spoiler: There is none for this book.
• What does research with scientific evidence have to say?

This is the second lab leak theory that is being touted as evidence (WRONGLY) in the past two months. Earlier, it was Vanity Fair and ProPublica "expose" COMPLETELY based on ONE TRANSLATOR's claims.  

First, let's get the basics of the story:

What are the claims? If you thought the lab leak theory was wild enough every time it came up, this is taking 100 steps more into the wild. 

• Dr Andrew Huff claims that novel coronavirus leaked from the now-infamous Wuhan lab and that he worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
• But Dr Huff doesn't know whether it was deliberately leaked or an accident. That's still a question mark!
• It's not just the Wuhan lab that was involved; the US government and intelligence were also involved, according to Dr Huff. 
• The story goes that EcoHealth Alliance, a US-based NGO, transferred technology knowledge regarding the controversial gain-of-function research on deadly viruses to the Wuhan lab.  
• Dr Huff mentions that EcoHealth Alliance was working with the Wuhan lab on a USAID programme called PREDICT - which focused on finding emerging pandemic threats.
• In 2014, Dr Huff, while reviewing a funding proposal found that the "gain of function work was being carried out to create SARS-CoV-2 - which causes Covid", this is exactly what The Sun reported. 

(Gain-of-function research aims to work with viruses that can infect humans to help develop new treatments for infectious diseases.)

• And so, Dr Huff concluded that the novel coronavirus could never be found in nature and that it was genetically engineered in the Wuhan lab with the help of US government funds. 

• Dr Huff also throws in a few more claims (without any evidence of course): US-funded research was mostly a front for intelligence collection, to assess the bioweapon capabilities of foreign labs. 

FACT CHECKING: The book Truth About Wuhan SHOULD NOT be misconstrued for a research paper. It is an opinion piece (*cough conspiracy theory cough*) in the form of a book. 

EcoHealth Alliance put out a statement about Dr Huff's book. 

• They said that Dr Huff worked with them from 2014-16; nowhere around 2019 when the novel coronavirus emerged. 
• EcoHealth Alliance also REFUTES claims that Dr Huff worked at/with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He did not! He was on a different project involving computer algorithms to assess emerging disease threats. 
• EcoHealth Alliance says Dr Huff's claims about the transfer of knowledge, virus lab leak and everything else is NOT TRUE. 

With regards to US NIH-funded research through EcoHealth Alliance, the NGO quoted a 2021 statement by the US NIH's then-Director Dr Francis Collins: 

Who is Dr Andrew Huff? Other than the fact that Dr Huff worked with EcoHealth Alliance for a few years, there's really not much about Dr Huff on news before this moment. 

• On Twitter, he's part of the anti-vaxx club of America. He's also fighting a lawsuit against EcoHealth Alliance for the "creation and cover-up of Covid-19". He also wants YOUR money to fight it. Oh and he hates every Anthony Fauci (in other words science). 

• He also thinks that the US government is surveilling him. He keeps finding "military grade drones" apparently in his backyard and thinks someone is tailing him to the grocery store. 

• In hindsight, Dr Huff did a great job at his minutes of fame, advertising his book and asking for money. 

What does REAL research say about the origin of the novel coronavirus? 

• Earlier this year, two peer-reviewed research found "compelling evidence" (this is the difference between research and a book of opinion) that the initial novel coronavirus outbreak came from Wuhan's Huanan seafood and wildlife market. 
• So far, the Wuhan wildlife market theory has been the strongest one, which was suspected since the beginning. This is because research has found the early cases clustered to this market. 
• The only lacking in this theory is that evidence is yet to be found about animal novel coronavirus infection. 

Does this mean that the lab leak theory is impossible? NO. 

• A Wuhan lab leak theory is not totally implausible. But it doesn't mean that a book of opinion without thorough peer-reviewed evidence should be taken as the answer. 
• Dr Anthony Fauci, retiring US top official in the Covid response team, recently said that he's open-minded about the possibility of a lab leak. 
• Since Beijing has refused a global independent investigation into the early cases of Covid-19, the initial outbreak still remains a mystery. Beijing has also denied international investigation into the Wuhan lab. And the WHO report was heavily influenced by China. 

In conclusion, while the lab leak theory is totally possible, it doesn't make Dr Andrew Huff's claims true. Because without evidence, anyone can claim that there is a secret society of shape-shifting humans who control the world order and are to blame for the Covid pandemic. And that the Earth is flat.