US officially cuts all funding to Wuhan Institute of Virology

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US government on Monday officially cut off all future federal funding for the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology from which it is suspected the COVID-19 virus originated, citing the lab’s violation of safety protocols and refusal to submit required documents on security, the New York Post reports. The US decision will affect new contracts, grants, and other transactions at the Institute.

The Biden administration’s action follows a US Department of Health and Human Services review of the Wuhan Institute’s protocols which began in September, the NY Post reports. The HHS review found that the lab is not complying with biosafety measures and US regulations.

While the Wuhan Institute has not received any US funding since 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services has now formally notified the lab that it will not receive any funding in future, the NY Post said.

In a statement to Bloomberg News, an HHS spokesperson said: “This action will ensure that [Wuhan Institute of Virology] does not receive another dollar of federal funding,” an HHS spokesperson told the outlet.

The FBI has stated it believes the COVID-19 pandemic began following a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute, while five other US federal agencies believe it was spread to humans from an infected animal, the NY Post noted.

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