In summary, I just wanted to state that, even though an engineered RBD is obviously ruled out, it is possible that the furin cleavage site could have been inserted by the WIV (Wuhan Institute of Virology) in a misguided reverse genetics experiment on an undisclosed bat coronavirus in their extensive collection ... to, perhaps, try to ascertain some minimum genetic change for increased pandemic danger. Scientists have done stupider things, and now that we know 3 people from WIV were admitted to hospital in November with Covid possible symptoms, that experiments were done in lower level containment labs than they should have been, and that the Chinese government didn't allow access to the recent WHO investigatory team to WIV lab records and personnel. and ... that both Dr. Fauci & Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Head of the CDC, have both spoken publicly and pointedly within the last week, I believe, that a lab accident is NOT ruled out, and that these eminent researchers also published a letter in Science: "Investigate the origins of COVID-19" https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/694.1 ....
OK, if you were Joe Friday (forgive my obscure TV reference) and you were investigating a disease outbreak that occurred 1500 km from the bats, but just down the street from the country's premier reasearch facility FOR bat coronviruses, and the government of that country blocked your investigation... And, I'm sorry, not to belabor the subject, but the Chinese authorities have done their best to obscure the origins of the pandemic -
See this troubling timeline: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/02/asia/china-wuhan-covid-truthtellers-intl-hnk-dst/
It's not a pretty picture.
The strange and unfortunate thing is sort of a non-guilt by association, in that the Trump Administration, known FOR lying and conspiracy theories, latched onto the possibilities, and so immediately discounted the thesis to anyone with intelligence. Geez.
But, just one other factoid: The motivation of the Chinese government - If it were to come out that they created the whole goddamned thing through incompetence and then covered it up, it calls into question the legitimacy of one party rule and the, what's the Pope term? "infallibility" of the leader, who's manipulated the system to stay in power past the 2 five year terms, I believe, agreed upon after Mao. There is a LOT riding on this one.
OK, that's enough for this discussion.
