Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nobel-Winning Biologist Backpedals Slightly On Covid Lab-Leak Theory
The Guardian: Leading Biologist Dampens His ‘Smoking Gun’ Covid Lab Leak Theory
A Nobel prize-winning US biologist, who has been widely quoted describing a “smoking gun” to support the thesis that Covid-19 was genetically modified and escaped from a Wuhan lab, has said he overstated the case. David Baltimore, a distinguished biology professor, had become one of the most prominent figures cited by proponents of the so-called lab leak theory. (Beaumont, 6/9)
The Hill: WHO Adviser Accuses COVID-19 Lab-Leak Theory Critics Of 'Thuggery'
A World Health Organization advisory board member accused scientists who wrote a letter criticizing the COVID-19 lab-leak theory in February 2020 of “thuggery” and “scientific propaganda.” Jamie Metzl appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday to discuss the lab-leak theory that was largely ostracized last year as a coronavirus conspiracy theory but has now gained traction. (Lonas, 6/9)
And Dr. Fauci defends himself —
CNBC: Fauci Blasts 'Preposterous' Covid Conspiracies, Accuses His Critics Of 'Attacks On Science'
A defiant Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday lashed out at critics calling for his ouster, blasting their “preposterous” and “painfully ridiculous” attacks and defending his record as a leading official battling the coronavirus pandemic. Such “attacks on me are, quite frankly, attacks on science,” Fauci said in an interview with NBC News’ Chuck Todd. “People want to fire me or put me in jail for what I’ve done — namely, follow the science.” (Breuninger, 6/9)
The Hill: Fauci: Attacks On Me Are Really Also 'Attacks On Science'
Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that conservative attacks on him are really "attacks on science" because he has been following the scientific process in his recommendations. "It's very dangerous, Chuck, because a lot of what you're seeing as attacks on me quite frankly are attacks on science, because all of the things that I have spoken about consistently from the very beginning, have been fundamentally based on science," Fauci told host Chuck Todd on MSNBC. (Sullivan, 6/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Fauci Says He Didn’t Play Down China Lab-Leak Theory Of Covid-19 Origins
Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease authority, said he never played down the possibility that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have been leaked from a lab in China, calling accusations he did so for political reasons “preposterous.” Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Health event, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that when scientists who had studied the virus floated the idea in February 2020 that it could have been “manipulated,” he quickly gathered a group of scientists together. (Wernau, 6/9)
