WUHAN, CHINA. (THECOUNT) — Two years before the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in China, U.S. scientists spoke out on their concerns about a new laboratory being built in Wuhan to study some of the world’s most infectious viruses.
The Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, built in the heart of the current coronavirus outbreak, is located about 20 miles from a Wuhan fish market, believed to be where the deadly virus originated.
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In addition to coronavirus, the lab houses other dangerous pathogens, including SARS and Ebola.
In 2017, as the opening of the lab approached, U.S. scientists told the publication Nature of their worries that one of those killer viruses could ‘escape’ and go on to infect members of the public, reports LucisPhilippines on Saturday.
In 2018, Tim Trevan, a Maryland biosafety consultant, said he had fears China’s culture could make the institute unsafe because “structures where everyone feels free to speak up and openness of information are important.”
On Saturday, Liang Wudong, a retired Wuhan doctor who sprung into action to help treat patients suffering from coronavirus, himself died – Nine days after contracting the deadly virus.
Wudong, 62, who had been treating patients at a hospital in Wuhan, died from the virus Saturday morning, according to state-run China Global Television Network.
Wudong, who was retired, but enlisted to help with the outbreak, died Saturday. It was also reported that another doctor, Jiang Jijun, had died from a “heart attack,” also while treating coronavirus infected patients.
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Geo quick facts: Wuhan, the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province, is a commercial center divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. The city contains many lakes and parks, including expansive, picturesque East Lake. Nearby, the Hubei Provincial Museum displays relics from the Warring States period, including the Marquis Yi of Zeng’s coffin and bronze musical bells from his 5th-century B.C. tomb – wikipedia.