Fitzpatrick Demands Answers On COVID-19's Origin

"A preponderance of evidence increasingly supports the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic was the result of a lab escape," Fitzpatrick said.

By Peter Blanchard, Patch Staff

May 24, 2021 4:17 pm EDT | Updated May 24, 2021 4:32 pm EDT

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick represents the First Congressional District in Pennsylvania, which includes Bucks County and a small portion of Montgomery County. (Office Of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick)

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is the latest member of Congress to call for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including whether or not the virus that causes the deadly disease was the result of a lab outbreak in Wuhan, China.

"A preponderance of evidence increasingly supports the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic was the result of a lab escape rather than a natural emergence, or species jump," Fitzpatrick wrote in a statement Monday, which came a few days after it was reported that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a reporter that he was "not convinced" that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, developed naturally and called for an investigation into its origins.

Fauci's remarks add weight to the theory that the virus that causes the disease can be traced to a lab outbreak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The research institute has received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and is known for conducting "Gain-of-Function" research on bat coronaviruses and their viral pathology.

While many scientists and public officials have supported the World Health Organization's conclusion that the virus jumped from bats to human through an intermediary host, they agree that the lab escape theory can't be ruled out. Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told media that the Chinese government was "not transparent from the beginning."

Fitzpatrick is the latest Republican lawmaker to call into question the real origins of COVID-19 after Sen. Rand Paul questioned Dr. Fauci at a Senate hearing last week. While Fauci appears to be open to an alternate theory, the WHO has maintained that the lab theory is "extremely unlikely."

"There is strong reason to believe that false reporting and a coverup has taken place regarding the true origins of the coronavirus," Fitzpatrick said. "We deserve answers. Come hell or high water, I will not stop until we get them."

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