Anthony Fauci says he is keeping an “open mind” to claims that the coronavirus may have leaked from a lab in China.
The chief medical advisor to the president, and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Fox News’ Brett Baier Friday he has not dismissed the lab leak theory outright — despite his long-held assertion that the virus originated in nature.
‘We have an open mind but it looks very much like this was a natural occurrence, but you keep an open mind,” said Fauci.
Republicans have brought evidence suggesting Dr. Fauci allegedly knew about the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s activity with coronavirus. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden remains in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. White House/twitter/ZUMA Press Wire Service/ZUMAPRESS.com
Fauci says he now has “an open mind” on China possibly leaking COVID-19 from a lab. Greg Nash-Pool/Getty ImagesDuring the interview, Baier asked Fauci about his comments two years ago, dismissing the lab leak theory as “a shiny object that will go away” after receiving a series of emails that questioned whether the virus could have been genetically engineered at the Institute of Virology in Wuhan.
The emails were exposed a year later by the Republican party.
