Why the pandemic probably started in a lab, in 5 key points (opens in new tab)

Likely precursors have been known in both bats and pangolins since virtually the start of the pandemic (see below) and are widely found in those populations to this day; the entire catalogue of possible precursor genomes in both wild bats and pangolins is (and likely will remain) extremely undersampled (to the degree we barely see any of the current picture of the wild viral load of these animals), so your apparent expectation of them being found in anything like the population of almost entirely domesticated populations of Arabian dromedaries (MERS) and entirely domesticated commercial cattle (current H5N1 spillover risk) is quite simply ludicrous. As it’s entirely possible the spillover mutation was either within a single, long-eaten, animal sample or occurred in a single human post-infection there’s no reason to assume the original lineage of SARS-CoV-2 itself would ever be captured in any wild animal population.

I don’t even know how to speak to the bizarre (but possibly simply badly communicated on your part) assertion that human -> animal re-transmission events either should (or even could) result in a magic cessation of circulation in humans, as that’s just nonsensical. Post human SARS-CoV-2 lineage infections still persist in animal populations (mink, for example) and likely will continue to do so essentially forever… there’s literally nothing immaculate about this entire situation.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9

Sachs (an economist) is not and never has been amongst the actually qualified to speak on virology. Formal graduate level research work in virology / epidemiology is the minimum qualification.

Vincent Racaniello https://microbiology.columbia.edu/faculty-vincent-racaniello

He does not think this started in a lab.

Virologists and epidemiologists, as opposed to a molecular biologist with no particular specialized training in either of those topics.

Well, that was easy.

The people who claim to be "actually qualified" are the same people who run (ran?) the show at the NIH that have been actively covering up their own opinion that the lab leak of the research they were funding is the most likely source of COVID-19.

Im guessing its people with vested interests.

You may or may not enjoy reading through a full and lively debate that was well refereed with clear rules in advance with all the known and verified facts from all sides to hand in advance.

It went down like this:

Lableak truther loses $100,000 in his own debate

https://www.protagonist-science.com/p/lableak-truther-loses-...

Sure, a lableak origin is "possible" .. just very very very unlikely.