Health

Chinese scientist challenges Beijing’s view on Covid 19 ‘lab leak’ theory

Former head of China’s Centre for Disease Control says possibility that pandemic originated in a lab should not be ruled out

Travelers walk to the exit of the Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province during 2020 lockdown of the city

The possibility the Covid virus leaked from a laboratory should not be ruled out, a former top Chinese government scientist has said.

The view of virologist and immunologist Professor George Gao is in stark contrast to that of the Chinese government which dismisses any suggestion the virus may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

Prof Gao, the former head of China’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), told the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt ...