From his experiments that the amount of immune memory gained from natural infection would likely prevent the vast majority of people from getting hospitalized disease severe disease for many years in this study which was published in science Dr crowdy showed that antibody levels stayed relatively constant with only modest declines over six to eight
Months Dr Crotty reported that notably memory B cells specific for the spike protein or RBD were detected in almost all covid-19 cases with no apparent Half-Life at five to eight months after infection in other words Dr Crotty found significant evidence of long-term immunity after coveted infection furthermore Dr Cody noted b-cell memory
To some other infections has been observed for as long as 60 plus years after smallpox vaccination or even 90 years after a natural infection with influenza that was a woman who got the Spanish Flu still showed immunity 90 years later so rather than being pessimistic towards people gaining immunity after they’ve
Had covid or had a vaccine studies argue for significant optimism in fact there have been no scientific studies arguing or proving that infection with covid does not create immunity there have been no studies showing significant numbers of reinfections of the 30 million Americans who have had covid only a handful of re-infections
Have been discovered in fact the New York Times reported last fall more than 38 million people at the time worldwide had been infected with the coronavirus and as of that date fewer than five of these cases had been confirmed by scientists to be reinfections scientists interviewed for
The article concluded in most cases a second bout with the virus produced milder symptoms or none at all given that no scientific Studies have shown significant numbers of reinfections of patients previously infected or previously vaccinated what specific studies do you cite to argue that the public should be wearing masks well into 2022
I’m not sure I understand the connection of what you’re saying about masks and reinfection we’re talking about people who have never been infected before you’re telling everybody to wear a mask whether they’ve had an infection or a vaccine what I’m saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees to have
Immunity what studies do you have that people that have had the vaccine or have had the infection are spreading the infection if we’re not spreading the infection isn’t it just theater no it’s not a vaccine and you’re wearing two masks isn’t that theater no that’s not
Here we go again with the theater let’s get down to the facts okay the studies that you quote from karate and sete look at in vitro examination of memory immunity which in their paper they specifically say this does not necessarily pertain to the actual protection it’s in vitro and what
Studies can you point to that shows significant reinfection there are no studies that show let me finish the response to your question if you please the other thing is that when you talk about reinfection and you don’t keep in the concept of variance that’s an entirely different bowl game that’s a
Good reason for a mask in the South African study conducted by J and J they found that people who were infected with wild type and were exposed to the variant in South Africa the 351 it was as if they had never been infected before they had no protection so when
You talk about re-infection you’ve got to make sure you’re talking about wild type I agree with you that you very likely would have protection from Wild type for at least six months if you’re infected but we in our country now have variance that is circulated significant reinfection what study shows significant
Reinfection hospitalization and death after either natural infection or the vaccine it doesn’t exist there is no evidence means that there are significant reinfections after vaccine in fact I don’t think we have a hospitalization in the United States after the two-week period after the second vaccination yeah you have a death
In the United States you’re not hearing what I’m saying about variants we’re talking about wild type versus variants there what proof is there that there are significant reinfections with hospitalizations and death from the variants none in our country zero well because we don’t have a prevalent of a
Variant yet we’re having one can I finish we’re having one one seven that’s becoming more dominant policy based on conjecture no you have it isn’t based on experience so you some you want people to wear a mask for another couple years no you’ve been vaccinated and you parade
Around in two masks for show no you can’t get it again there’s almost there’s virtually zero percent chance you’re gonna get it and yet you’re telling people with them that have had the vaccine who have immunity you’re defying everything we know about immunity by telling people to wear masks
Have been vaccinated instead you should be saying there is no science to say we’re going to have a problem from the large number of people will be vaccinated you want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy film then quit wearing their mask after they get the vaccine
You want people to get the vaccine give them a reward instead of telling them that the nanny State’s going to be there for three more years and you got to wear a mask forever people don’t want to hear it there’s no science behind it well let
Me just State for the record that masks are not theater masks are protective and we have Community there theater if you already have immunity you’re wearing a mask to give Comfort to others you’re not wearing a mask because of Any slime I I totally disagree with you
Dr fauci we don’t know whether the pandemic started in a lab in Wuhan or evolved naturally but we should want to know three million people have died from this pandemic and that should cause us to explore all possibilities instead government authorities self-interested in continuing gain of function research
Say there’s nothing to see here gain of function research as you know is juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans to arrive at the truth the US government should admit that the Wuhan virology Institute was experimenting to enhance the coronavirus’s ability to infect humans juicing up super viruses is not
New scientists in the U.S have long known how to mutate animal viruses to infect humans for years Dr Ralph Barrick a virologist in the U.S has been collaborating with Dr Shi zengli of the Wuhan virology Institute sharing his discoveries about how to create super viruses this gain of function research
Has been funded by the NIH the collaboration between the U.S and the Wuhan virology Institute continues doctors Barrick and she work together to insert bat virus Spike protein into the backbone of the deadly SARS virus and then use this man-made supervirus to infect human Airway cells
Think about that for a moment the SARS virus had a 15 percent mortality we’re fighting a pandemic that has about a one percent mortality can you imagine if a SARS virus that’s been Juiced up and had viral proteins added to it to the spike protein if that were released accidentally
Dr fauci do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan senator Paul with all due respect you are entitled entirely and completely incorrect that the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute do they find Dr Barrick
We do not fund you’re funding Dr Barracks gain of function research Dr Barrett does not doing gained a function research and if it is it’s according to the guidelines and it is being conducted in North Carolina I don’t think it’s starting a bat virus Spike protein that
He got from the Wuhan Institute into the SARS virus’s gain of function that is not a minority because at least 200 scientists have signed a statement from the Cambridge working group saying that it is gain of function well it is not and if you look at the Grant and you
Look at the progress reports it is not gained a function despite the fact that people tweet that support sending money to the Wuhan virology Institute we do not send money now to do one hand sending money we did under your tutelage we were sending it through Eco Health it
Was a sub-agency and a sub Grant do you support the money from NIH that was going to the Wuhan Institute let me explain to you why that was done the saws cov1 originated in bats in China it would have been irresponsible of us if we did not investigate the bat
Viruses and the serology to see who might have been or perhaps possible to send it to the Chinese government that we may not be able to trust with this knowledge and with this incredibly dangerous viruses government scientists like yourself who favor gain of function I don’t favor gain of function research
That are not correct government Defenders of gain of function such as yourself say that covid-19 mutations were random and not designed by man but interestingly the technique that Dr Barrick developed forces mutations by serial Passage through cell culture that the mutations appear to be natural in fact Dr Barrick named the technique
The noseeum technique because the mutations appear naturally Nicholas Baker of the New York Magazine said nobody would know if the virus had been fabricated in a laboratory or grown in nature Governor authorities in the U.S including yourself unequivocally deny that covid-19 could have escaped a lab
But even Dr XI in Wuhan wasn’t so sure according to Nicholas Baker doctors she wondered could this new virus have come from her own laboratory she checked her records frantically and found no matches that really took a load off my mind she said I had not slept for days the
Director of the gain of function research in Wuhan couldn’t sleep because she was terrified that it might be in her lab Dr Barrack an advocate of gain of function research admits the main problem at The Institute of virology has is the outbreak occurred in close proximity what are the odds Barrick
Responded could you rule out a laboratory escape the answer in this case is probably not will you in front of this group categorically say that the covid-19 could not have occurred through serial passage in a laboratory I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done and I’m fully in
Favor of any further investigation of what went on in China however I will repeat again the NIH and niaid categorically has not funded gain of function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute of Iran you support it in the U.S we have 11 Labs doing it and
You have allowed it here we have a committee to do it but the committee is granted every exemption you’re you’re fooling with Mother Nature here you’re allowing super viruses to be created with a 15 mortality it’s very dangerous I think it was a huge mistake to share
This with China and it’s a huge mistake to allow this to continue in the United States and we should be very careful to investigate where this virus came from I fully agree that you should investigate where the virus came from but again we have not funded gain of function
Research on this virus in the Wuhan Institute of virology no matter you say it there was research there was research done with Dr she and Dr Barrick they have collaborated on gain of function research where they enhanced the SARS virus to infect human Airway cells and they did it by merging a new
Spike protein on it that is gain of function that was joint research between the Wuhan Institute and Dr Barrick you can’t deny it senator Paul your time time is expired Dr facci I will let you respond to that when we need to move on excuse me you’re I will allow you to
Respond to that and then we’ll move on yeah I mean I just wanted to say we I I don’t know how many times I can say it Madam chair we did not fund gain of function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute of virology
Dr fauci as you are aware it is a crime to lie to Congress section 1001 of the U.S criminal code creates a felony in a five-year penalty for lying to Congress on your last trip to our committee on May 11th you stated that the NIH has not
Ever and has not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute of virology and yet gain of function research was done entirely in the Wuhan Institute by Dr she and was funded by the NIH I’d like to ask unanimous consent to insert into the record of the Wuhan
Virology paper entitled discovery of a rich gene pool of bat SARS related coronaviruses please deliver a copy of the journal article to Dr fauci in this paper Dr she credits the NIH and lists the actual number of the grant that she was given by the NIH in this paper she took two bat
Coronavirus genes Spike genes and combined them with a SARS related backbone to create new viruses that are not found in nature these lab-created viruses within to Shone to replicate in humans these experiments combine genetic information from different coronaviruses that infect animals but not humans to create novel artificial viruses able to
Infect human cells viruses that in nature only infect animals were manipulated in the Wuhan lab to gain the function of infecting humans This research fits the definition of the research that the NIH said was subject to the pause in 2014 to 2017 a pause in funding on gain of function
But the NIH failed to recognize this defines it a way and it never came under any scrutiny Dr Richard E bright a molecular biologist from Rutgers described This research in Wuhan as the Wuhan lab used NIH funding to construct novel chimeric SARS related coronaviruses able to infect human cells
And laboratory animals this is high risk research that creates new potential pandemic pathogens potential pandemic pathogens that exist only in the lab not in nature This research matches these are Dr E Bright’s words this research matches indeed epitomizes the definition of gain of function research done entirely in Wuhan
For which there was supposed to be a federal pause Dr fauci knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress do you wish to retract your statement of May 11th where you claimed that the NIH never funded gain of function research in Wuhan senator Paul I have never lied before
The Congress and I do not retract that statement this paper that you are referring to was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gained of function what was let me finish take an animal virus and you increase his responsibility to humans right you’re saying that’s not gain a
Function that is correct and and senator Paul you do not know what you are talking about quite frankly and I want to say that officially you do not know what you are talking about okay you get one person gain a function this is your definition that you guys wrote it says that
Scientific research that increases the transmittee about transmissibility among animals is gain of function they took animal viruses that only occur in animals and they increase their trans missability to humans how you can say that is not gain a function it is not it’s a dance and you’re dancing around
This because you’re trying to obscure responsibility for four million people dying around the world from a pandemic and let’s let’s send doctor I have to well now you’re getting into something if the point that you are making is that the the grant that was funded as a sub
Award from Eco Health to Wuhan created sauce covi II that’s where you are getting let me finish we don’t know well wait a minute I came in the lab but all the evidence is pointing that it came from the lab there will be responsibility for those who funded the
Lab including yourself I totally this community won’t allow the witness to I totally resent the lie that you are now propagating Senator because if you look at the viruses that were used in the experiments that were given in the annual reports that were published in the literature it is molecularly
Impossible no one’s saying though it is positive it is virus caused the pandemic what we’re alleging is that gain of function research was going on in that lab and NIH funded it that is not away from it it meets your definition and you are obfuscating the truth I’m not
Obfuscating the truth you’re the one I’m expired but I will allow the witness to let me just finish I want everyone to understand that if you look at those viruses and that’s judged by qualified virologists and evolutionary biologists those viruses are molecularly impossible the results pause the pandemic we’re saying they are
Gain of function viruses because they’re animal viruses that became more transmissible in human and you funded it and you commit the truth and you implying all your time is expired and I will allow Witnesses who come before this committee to respond okay and you are implying that what we did was
Responsible for the deaths of individual I totally resented and if anybody was lying here Senator it is you Dr falching I don’t expect you today to admit that you approved of NIH funding for gain and function research in Wuhan but your repeated denials have worn thin and a majority of Americans frankly
Don’t believe you even the NIH now admits that Eco Health Alliance did perform experiments in Wuhan that created viruses not found in nature that actually did gain in lethality the facts are clear the NIH did fund gain of function research in Wuhan despite your protestations you can deny it all you
Want but even the Chinese authors of the paper in their paper admit that viruses not found in nature were created and yes they gained in infectivity your persistent denials though are not simply a stain on your reputation but are clear and present danger to the country and to the world
As Professor Kevin S Felt of MIT has written gain of function research looks like a gamble That civilization can’t afford to risk and yet here we are again with you steadfast in your denials why does it matter because gain of function research with laboratory created viruses not found in
Nature could cause a pandemic even worse the next time we’re suffering today from one that has a mortality of approximately one percent they’re experimenting with viruses that have mortalities of between 15 and 50 percent yes our civilization could be at risk from one of these viruses experiments that combine unknown viruses
With known pandemic causing viruses are incredibly risky experiments that combine unknown viruses with coronaviruses that have as much as 50 mortality could endanger civilization as we know it and here you sit unwilling to accept any responsibility for the current pandemic and unwilling to take any steps to prevent gain of
Function research from possibly unleashing an even more deadly virus you mislead the public by saying that the published viruses could not be coveted well exactly no one is alleging that no one is alleging that the published viruses by the Chinese are covered what we are saying is that this was risky
Type of research gain a function research it was risky to share this with a with the Chinese and that covid may have been created from a not yet revealed virus we don’t anticipate the Chinese are going to reveal the virus if it came from their lab you know that but you continue to
Mislead you continue to support NIH money going to Wuhan you continue to say do you trust the Chinese scientist you appear to have learned nothing from this pandemic will you today finally take some responsibility for funding gain of function research in Wuhan Senator with all due respect I disagree
With so many of the things that you’ve said again first of all gain of function is a very nebulous term we have spent not us but outside bodies a considerable amount of effort to give a more precise definition to the type of research that is of concern that
Might lead to a dangerous situation you are aware of that that is called p3co we’re aware that you deleted gain of function from the NIH website well I can get back to that a moment if we have time but let’s get back to the operating framework and guide Wells of which we
Operate under and you have ignored them the guidelines are very very clear that you have to be dealing with a pathogen that clearly is shown and very likely to be highly transmissible in an uncontrollable way in humans and to have a high degree of morbidity and mortality and that you do
Experiments to enhance that hence the word e p p enhanced pathogens of potemico Health Alliance took the virus combined it with wiv one and caused a recombinant virus that doesn’t exist in nature and it made my sicker mice that had humanized cells you’re saying that that’s not gain of function research
According to the framework and guidelines so what you’re doing is defining a way gain of function You’re simply saying it doesn’t exist because you change the definition on the NIH website this is terrible and you’re you’re completely trying to escape the idea that we should do something about
Trying to prevent a pandemic from leaking from a lab there’s the preponderance of evidence now points towards this coming from the lab and what you’ve done is change the definition on your website to try to cover your ass basically that’s what you’ve done you’ve changed the website
To try to have a new definition that doesn’t include the risky research that’s going on until you admit that it’s risky we’re not going to get anywhere you have to admit that this research was risky the NIH has now rebuked them your own agency has rebuked them
But that thing is is you’re still unwilling to admit that they gained in function when they say they became sicker they gained in lethality it’s a new virus that’s not gain of function according to the definition that is currently operable you know Senator let’s make it clear for the people who
Are listening the current definition was done over a two to three year period by outside bodies including the nsabb two conferences by the National Academy of Science engineering and medicine on December 2014 March 2016 we commissioned external risk benefit assessment and then on January of 2017 the office of
Science and Technology policy of the White House issued the current policy and coincidence on the same day the NIH said that yes there was a gain of function in on the same day the definition appeared the new definition to try to Define away what’s going on in Wuhan until you accept it
Until you expect accept responsibility we’re not going to get anywhere close to trying to prevent another lab leak of this dangerous sort of experiment you won’t admit that it’s dangerous and for that lack of judgment I think it’s time that you resign thank you senator Paul
And I would like to give the time to Dr fauci yeah well there were so many things that are egregious misrepresentation here uh Madam chair that I don’t think I’d be able to refute all of them but just a couple of them for the listens to hear for
He was said that I am unwilling to take any responsibility for the current pandemic I have no responsibility for the current pandemic the current pandemic okay number two you said the overwhelming amount of evidence indicates that’s a lab leak I believe most card-carrying viral phylogenous and molecular virologists would disagree
With you that is much more likely even though we leave open all possibilities it’s much more likely that this was a natural occurrence third you say we contested 80 000 animals and no animals have been found with covet senator Paul the time is at first and third you made a statement
Just a moment ago that’s completely incorrect will you say we continue to support research at the Wuhan Institute of virology you approved it in August of last year no no your statement says quote I wrote it down as you were writing you continue to support research that the Wuhan Institute of our own
Committee a month ago do you still trust the Chinese scientists and you still support the research over there you said it a month ago I have allowed Dr fauci to respond you’ve had your time I’m going to give him he’s going to be dishonest he ought to be jealous senator
Paul we will allow Dr fauci to respond after you’ve given accusations like that Dr fauci well I don’t have any more to say except to say that as usual and I I have a great deal of respect for this body of the Senate and it makes me very
Uncomfortable to have to say something but he is egregiously incorrect In what he says thank you history will figure that out on its own we will turn to Senator Hassan thank you
