As Trump, China trade barbs, a Fort Detrick laboratory finds itself in the middle

Where the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 first originated is a question on many minds, from officials in the United States and other countries to epidemiologists looking to track the virus that resulted in the current pandemic.

The question has led to China and the United States trading barbs. Ask President Donald Trump, and he’ll probably say SARS-CoV-2 likely originated in China where the first cases of COVID-19 appeared. He and other U.S. officials claim that the virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory, according to the Associated Press. World Health Organization emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan, quoted in the article, said the claim is speculative.

But ask Chinese officials and some Chinese scientists, their answer will hit closer to home.

For months now, even before Maryland and Frederick County announced its first cases of the respiratory disease, Chinese officials have suggested that the coronavirus was created at Fort Detrick.

Read more | The Frederick News-Post