One of the three Chinese coronavirus researchers who fell ill in November 2019—and whose cases have stoked the COVID-19 lab leak theory— received U.S. funding, according to The Wall Street Journal. The scientist, Ben Hu, was a leading coronavirus researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and had projects funded by American grants. Hu and two of his colleagues became ill in November 2019 with symptoms similar to those produced by COVID-19, though they also could have contracted typical seasonal illnesses. The researchers’ mysterious sickness has fueled the debate over the virus’ origins, which has divided the public, scientists, and U.S. intelligence agencies. The partially U.S. funded projects in which Hu played a role reportedly included one to research the risks of bat coronaviruses and one investigating methods for detecting diseases that can jump from animals to humans.
