CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, July 12, 2021 | 11 WORLD Behind the deadly secrets at Fort Detrick One of the US’ biological laboratories raises serious questions about safety By ZHAO RUINAN seasons, starting from October 2019
[email protected] to March 2020, which the CDC said had led to 39 million illnesses and Despite numerous accidents more than 24,000 deaths. relating to viruses in biological Speculation about the laboratory research laboratories in the Unit- being the origin of the COVID-19 ed States over the years, most seem pandemic have also emerged to gain scant media or public online. attention. Robert Redfield, then director of More than 1,100 laboratory inci- the CDC, admitted in March last dents involving bacteria, viruses year that some COVID-19 deaths in and toxins that pose significant or the US had been diagnosed as flu-re- bioterrorism risks to people and lated. Redfield served as the director agriculture were reported to US fed- of the CDC from March 2018 to Jan- eral regulators between 2008 and uary this year. 2012, USA Today reported, citing US In March last year a petition in government reports it said it had which the signatories sought more obtained. information on Fort Detrick was An article last August by ProPub- posted on the White House website. lica, an independent newsroom that US politicians have dismissed the does investigative journalism, said concerns about the center as disin- that between January 2015 and June formation and conspiracy theories, 2020 the University of North Caroli- and at the same time pushed their na at Chapel Hill reported to safety own claims about the supposed ori- officials at the National Institutes of gins of COVID-19.