FDA Commissioner Marty Makary on Wednesday reignited controversy by promoting the lab-leak theory of COVID-19’s origin, accusing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of funding a lab that “brewed up” the virus. Speaking to NewsNation, Makary said reforms under the Trump administration would reshape federal health agencies “for a generation.”
“The NIH had just funded a lab that brewed up a virus that killed 20 million people worldwide,” Makary claimed, referring to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The assertion revives a theory that COVID-19 escaped from a lab — a belief the CIA assesses with “low confidence,” according to an NBC News report.
Most scientists continue to support a natural origin of the virus, with transmission from animals to humans. The Trump administration, however, has embraced the lab-leak narrative, even retooling the federal COVID.gov site earlier this year to promote the theory.
Makary also criticized prior NIH leadership and backed reforms initiated by economist and COVID-19 contrarian Jay Bhattacharya.
The Department of Health and Human Services has not commented on Makary’s statements.
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