US Stops Funding Wuhan Virology Lab for Experiments That ‘Violated’ Grant Terms

The lab was involved in research to make viruses more virulent and transmissible, and is the suspected origin for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance (R) and other members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus, arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology on Feb. 3, 2021. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

All U.S. federal funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the Chinese lab suspected to be the origin of COVID-19, has been suspended, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

On Wednesday, the HHS sent a letter (pdf) to WIV Director General Dr. Yanyi Wang, informing her that no federal funding will be granted to the lab for the next ten years. “WIV conducted an experiment that violated the terms of the grant regarding viral activity, which possibly did lead or could lead to health issues or other unacceptable outcomes,” the letter said. “The NIH gave WIV several opportunities to address and/or rebut the NIH determination, but WIV failed to do so.”