Gigi Gronvall
@ggronvall
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Professor, @JohnsHopkinsEHE, @JohnsHopkinsSPH, @JohnsHopkins; @JHSPH_CHS _1st_ Hopkins faculty to be a member of Baltimore's Marching Ravens
baltimore
Joined June 2009
Because COVID origins is suddenly topical again (hmmm because it is an election year?) I thought I’d share again the article @LawrenceGostin and I wrote on the topic.
Happy to share @LawrenceGostin and my new (free access) article on COVID-19 origins in @NEJM, which includes a timeline for investigating the origins and other related events. The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t) | NEJM
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12yo: why isn’t school virtual? More than half the class has COVID. Me: 😡😳😭😷.
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@NateSilver538 Still doesn’t matter— the majority of people could believe COVID came from aliens and it wouldn’t change the fact that there is little scientific support for that view. The important thing is to understand what actually happened—it is a scientific issue not a popularity contest.
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For people not in the scientific world: “debate” is not something that generally happens. Instead, scientists give talks, present posters at conferences, and publish, all of which offer opportunities for peer review, critiques, and discussion of the data or its interpretation.
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Because of the attention on COVID-19's origin, many are learning about the mysterious flu season of 1977, the so-called "Russian Flu." It was nearly identical to a 1950's H1N1 strain. It was def not a natural outbreak, but also not likely a lab accident.
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Are you kidding me, @nytopinion? I can give you at least 25 reasons why SARS-CoV-2 did NOT come from a lab, and in fact I have done so. You really shouldn’t platform conspiracists. Let’s start with this summary:
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While people are thinking about science and work culture-- here's a story from when I was an undergrad at IU, when Nobel Laureate and IU alum Jim Watson came to speak. I was so excited to meet him, I went early and even brought my Molecular Biology of the Cell for him to sign.🙀.
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I really hate when journalists cover scientific stories but don't understand the science so all they cover is personal drama and innuendo, plus they are easily manipulated by their sources.
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I’m glad this Nobel laureate was called out for sexist comments. But did he have to be called out by an early career female scientist? Where were the other (mostly male) laureates and why didn’t they challenge him? Those men in attendance needed to do much better.
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@NateSilver538 @K_G_Andersen Hi Nate, because it is 2023, why not check out this great paper by @LawrenceGostin and me about what we actually know about the origin of COVID. People who are upset that the scientific evidence is not supporting their preferred theory are just trying to change the subject.
Happy to share @LawrenceGostin and my new (free access) article on COVID-19 origins in @NEJM, which includes a timeline for investigating the origins and other related events. The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t) | NEJM
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Sloopy in his new tank! (camouflage left over from a national history day project on the Panama Canal) @giantcat9
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Asserting it was a lab leak doesn’t make it true. There is no new evidence presented here and the science clearly, overwhelmingly points to a natural emergence at Wuhan market. There are steps we can take to prevent that from happening again and I’d be delighted to discuss them.
The @COVIDSelect Committee confirmed in their final report today that the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic was a lab leak from gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. Despite Dr. Fauci’s repeated attempts to downplay accountability, the NIH’s funding and oversight
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@thor_benson I spoke to gg about anthrax in 2008/9 (the person the FBI determined was responsible for the anthrax letter attacks died by suicide, I am a biosecurity expert and worked at USAMRIID )… he was pushing his false narrative the whole time. Was grateful it was a live segment.
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@NateSilver538 Where Covid came from is a scientific issue not a rhetorical debate… or a popularity contest. Good. Grief.
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Kudos to @jocelynkaiser for covering this (and the scientists who filed the complaint!). Ebright and Nickels have been heaping abuse and misogyny on others for years. I hope that more articles will follow to profile Ebright who has had outsized influence on policy.
A dozen #COVID19 scientists have filed a formal complaint with Rutgers University alleging that two faculty members violated the university’s policies by posting “provably false” comments that are often defamatory and that could incite harm against them.
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In 2008 Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald kept trying to get me to falsely say that the US has an offensive biological weapons program. He has an anti-US agenda divorced from facts and it’s irresponsible for news outlets to have him on about this serious topic.
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"While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history."
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Scientific misinformation was a problem before COVID. but it's gotten worse. In the lead up to the 2020 election, one example was the "Yan report" which claimed SARS-CoV-2 was deliberately engineered. It contained sciency-sounding but nonsensical terms jumbled into a preprint.
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Since I published on the origin of COVID-19 describing why a natural emergence was more likely (and how it relates to the GOF research debates), the scientific evidence has only gotten more voluminous. It's still current and written for non-scientists, give it a free read.
New: The Contested Origin of SARS-CoV-2, published in Survival @SurvivalEditors a publication of @IISS_org. This topic has been full of charged rhetoric. My aim is to provide clarity, to focus on preventing future pandemics from the likeliest pathway.
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New: The Contested Origin of SARS-CoV-2, published in Survival @SurvivalEditors a publication of @IISS_org. This topic has been full of charged rhetoric. My aim is to provide clarity, to focus on preventing future pandemics from the likeliest pathway.
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In case this is my last tweet before twitter shuts down. just wanted to say this was my favorite moment, when my cat Sloopy was honored by @giantcat9. I am so grateful for the people on here who spread joy, share accurate information, and who tweet pictures of cats.
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@benjaminwittes Stay strong. I bought a plant and it turned out it couldn’t be trusted— thankfully my cat saved us.
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For anyone thinking of trying to get a religious exemption for weekly COVID testing — you should know that no aborted fetal cells were used in the making or development of COVID tests. For those who are hearing this request from employees… these requests should be DENIED.
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In 2022, the US STEM workforce is still missing many women, even though they have gotten PhDs in equal numbers in bio for years. Changing this culture from the top can not only help many people find an enriching and profitable career in science, but it will also help the country.
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The US does not have an offensive biological weapons program. Full stop. On the other hand, Russia has been recently & credibly accused of violating the Biological Weapons Convention, a bad habit they have had since 1975 when it came into force. Excellent reporting @Justin_Ling.
Yesterday I wrote on a fast-moving conspiracy theory that seeks to rationalize Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and marry it with a tangle of QAnon paranoia. Let's look at how this theory came to be — and how it's still being promoted by Moscow.
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Perhaps @drdrew missed this info before booking @DrLiMengYAN1, but her claims have been thoroughly debunked. She uses sciencey sounding words but strung together they make no sense and her conclusions are wrong. Nonetheless, you (and @TuckerCarlson) give her a platform.
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Happy to share @LawrenceGostin and my new (free access) article on COVID-19 origins in @NEJM, which includes a timeline for investigating the origins and other related events. The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t) | NEJM
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Terrific article about 2 examples of "science opinion" from "people with limited or no expertise in virology, immunology, or the epidemiology of infectious diseases," self-appointed "qualified arbiters of the science of SARS-CoV-2 and the national response"
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Excellent 🧵describing the new results supporting zoonotic origin of COVID. A side note from me— this breathtaking detail is a tremendous leap forward in attributing ANY biological incident, and should be viewed as a deterrent to misuse. Just extraordinary detective work.
Two years ago, we demonstrated that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic likely began at the Huanan Market via zoonosis resulting from the wildlife trade. Many unanswered questions remained about the animals themselves. Some answers, out today in @CellCellPress.
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In other words, to imply that scientists are weird or shady for not debating is either pretty disingenuous or —best case—ignorant.
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A female post-doc wrote an excoriating letter to the editor with advice: "To all those undergraduate women in the audience, please do not let this person discourage you from a career in science. Women have played, and continue to play, a major role in all branches of science. "
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A reminder that when you see misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on here, don't spread it by retweeting or quote tweeting, even if you are doing so to point out that it is wrong. Deplatform the lies, and spread accurate information, instead.
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@clhubes Also, not every single thing requires a password or esp two factor authentication. No one is using my treadmill but me.
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Watson said women could not be scientists, didn't have the brains for it. Many were beautiful, made life pleasant, but couldn't compete. Those who did were undesirable. Watson also espoused racist theories about intelligence. eventually the audience had enough and pushed back.
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I am pleased to share my response to the White House request for information about proposed oversight rules for dual-use/P3CO research. The proposed rule changes would significantly and adversely impact the way biological research is conducted in the US.
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@NateSilver538 The lab leakers weren’t silenced (by the previous administration, by reporters like Josh Rogin, by many of the LL, by outlets like Bulletin of atomic scientists, by you) and furthermore evidence suggests the LL were _incorrect_.
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(In defense of my exceptional naivete, I started at IU as a piano major so was pretty new to the science scene. I hadn't read The Double Helix. I was in love with biology and wanted to be a scientist more than anything. Everyone who has heard Watson speak knows how this ends.).
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Thank you @beyerstein for capturing why @Ayjchan and @mattwridley can keep the lab leak theory alive in spite of mounting contrary evidence. What is most upsetting, really, are the One Health issues that won't get discussed while they line their pockets.
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@VPrasadMDMPH I can’t think of a virus that is good to get infected by— implying there is a benefit is misinformation. One may not be able to avoid all the annoying colds out there but they are def not good for you.
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This is an excellent piece by @Justin_Ling. It describes some of the major problems with the 'lab leak' theory (still wonder about the origin of that term. which hasn't been often used to describe lab accidents before)
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Of course, this post-doc was right. But here is what the professors did to warn students either about a predictably discouraging talk from Watson or what they did to address it after:.
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There's so much great info available on our Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security website on COVID-19, but just wanted to call your attention to our new tracker for serology tests. We will be updating frequently.
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@NateSilver538 A reminder that the evidence we know about strongly supports a natural origin and any intelligence would need to square w that context. It’s not saying it couldn’t happen, but that serious people should be skeptical and wanting more information.
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"SARS-CoV-2 is a natural virus that found its way into humans through mundane contact with infected wildlife that went on to cause the most consequential pandemic for over a century. alternative hypotheses have been implausible for a long time.".
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In addition to vaccination, improvements to ventilation can limit COVID spread to protect children and keep them in school (IN-PERSON!). 1. Schools should bring in as much outdoor air as HVAC system will safely allow and upgrade filtration @polsiewski
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@DrSamiSchalk I feel like I missed some opportunities on recent papers now. I’ll correct on the next one— sorry, Sloopy and Skiff.
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@toxicologist12 Seems pretty reasonable! And better than sending DoorDash to your kid’s school if they forgot their lunch…😹.
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@NateSilver538 An alternative way to read @KatherineJWu ‘s excellent article (which quotes some terrific influenza researchers struggling to figure out whether flu is likely to be bad this year and why there is so much uncertainty) is that you should just get your flu shot.
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A reminder to all that the origin of COVID is not a rhetorical debate, it is a scientific issue. Any new information will need to be put into context with what is already out there, which strongly supports a natural emergence.
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Virology research was essential to develop life-saving SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and will be critical to respond to, and possibly prevent, the next pandemic. However, the field has been challenged by proposed rules and laws threatening progress against pandemic threats.
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@NateSilver538 I used to wonder— how could people believe in the four humours and bleeding etc for HUNDREDS of years even though none of it was true? I now realize it’s because people had strong instincts on that theory because thinking our health was determined by bile is pretty legible.
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It was more grumbling than rebellion, but one woman shouted that we weren't "girls." (thanks to the IU librarian for finding this stuff for me!). In a letter to the paper, one (female) student noted that this was Rude. Odd/not odd that the racism was unmentioned.
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Waiting for this day for a long time. Feeling grateful. 💜💜💜
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In my opinion, schools should _not_ lift mask mandates at this time. Why not?.1. COVID transmission is better now than 2 weeks ago but it’s still high!.2. I do not want cases to erupt and force in person schools to close. This is my first through ten thousand reasons actually.
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No, what happened in Sverdlovsk (1979) was not a "lab leak." It was likely an accident, but the anthrax came from an illegal, clandestine bioweapons manufacturing plant, and thus has vanishingly little relevance to any accident from any bioresearch lab .
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Happy to share my new piece @lawfareblog on why the evidence points to a natural emergence— not a lab leak— for SARS-CoV-2. Also about why we need better regulated markets internationally & how much important stuff we have left to discover in virology.
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@joshshepperd I played a funny little video w a penguin dancing for some young coworkers. I said— ‘guess the band!’ They didn’t know. ‘It’s the Sex Pistols’, I said. They turned red and asked ‘That’s a … band?’.
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What difference this make? To individuals? A lot. To the country? Also a lot. US competitiveness policies often focus on making sure S&T isn't inappropriately taken. But they should also work to foster the best research environment possible for scientists.
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Behold: the paper some lab leak proponents were trying to cast doubt on while under embargo, providing additional support for a zoonotic origin for COVID. It is very hard to imagine how a lab leak could be even theoretically possible with this data.
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And I'm sure this sorry episode was repeated many times-- Watson had quite the track record.
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Lab safety has changed a lot since the 1970's (no more mouth pipetting, eating, drinking, smoking in the lab, just to start!) which would make it a poor example, anyway, but the evidence is against 1977 flu being a single-point lab accident.
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Thank you so much to my anonymous letter writers, my super supportive chair @MarshaKarp1, and great colleagues at @JHSPH_CHS @JohnsHopkinsEHE. Pretty amazing to leave the bench for a 'non-traditional path' to work on biosecurity with DA Henderson and Tara O'Toole and get _here_!.
Congratulations @ggronvall on being promoted to professor! Gronvall, PhD, '00, an immunologist, has written extensively about synthetic biology, preparations for bioterrorism, and the contested origin of SARS-CoV-2. @JHSPH_CHS @JohnsHopkinsSPH .⤵️.
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@toxicologist12 @NaturesPoisons People always asked me (background in biosecurity) “omg are we all going to die?” And I would say yes, because… well, we are all going to die at some point. (I’m not invited places but hopefully someday!).
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We describe the two main origin theories -- lab leak or natural-- but the scientific evidence lies with a natural emergence. It is unlikely that this will deter doubters, however, as it is always possible that there is something we do not know (like a progenitor strain). Still.
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@drdrew Just some of the vaccines I needed before I could travel internationally, or I’d be turned away by border patrol.
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COVID-19 did not come from a lab. Targeting scientists who are trying to understand and monitor future disease threats just leaves us all less prepared to deal with them.
I wrote about how EcoHealth Alliance is fighting back against their scapegoating and ongoing targeting by the lab leak-pushing GOP-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Featuring comments from @angie_rasmussen.
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@KevinMKruse My dad, a white Presbyterian pastor, went to Mississippi for freedom summer in ‘64 to register black voters and was shot at and chased by dogs.
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Thursday morning thought-- where did the phrase "lab leak" come from? I don't think I have heard it often used to describe laboratory accidents before. for example, it wasn't mentioned in this piece about the SARS exposure in 2003
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We concluded the bulk of the evidence rests with vaccine trials as the origin of 1977 flu: the unnatural origin, mildness of disease, widespread dissemination in a short amount of time, temperature sensitivity , contemporary observations, and live-virus vaccine trials ongoing.
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Available scientific evidence strongly points to a natural zoonotic event as the origin of SARS-CoV-2. However, while viruses infect vulnerable hosts in a naturally occurring process, it is human activity that leads to opportunities for some viruses to make the jump into people.
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@Dr2NisreenAlwan I was astounded when I learned that chicken pox vaccine is not routine for children in the UK. Such needless suffering for kids (and their parents!) when a vaccine is nearly 100% effective.
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Can journalists please retire Richard Ebright's grossly inaccurate, admittedly colorful but nonetheless wrong depiction of a BSL-2 lab as being comparable to a dentist's office? I'm torn between being concerned about his dental health and amazement that people believe him.
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There's been a lot of talk about "smoking guns" or "alarm bells" re: COVID origins. Well, for me, that feeling happened on page 98 of the WHO investigation report.
"There are lots of pieces to still fill in, but this report [from @MichaelWorobey and colleagues] ties a lot of the pieces together that say, 'There is a really credible story for an animal origin of SARS-CoV-2,'" says @JHSPH_CHS senior scholar @GGronvall.
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It's great testimony @K_G_Andersen, but I am sorry this sorry spectacle is occurring, and that a Congressional committee is treating US scientists this way. So many people should be feeling ashamed for their behavior that led up to this moment, if shame were in their capacity.
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The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic - The Atlantic
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So, I watched the Russell Brand video. Those promoting it in earnest either 1. Don’t understand the technical import of the preprints he’s sort of discussing 2. Do understand and don’t care as the science is immaterial to their preferred narrative. Not sure what else it could be?.
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@j_g_allen What’s the big deal? My kid’s school is back to masks because of the high volume of positive tests. While community spread is high, it seems reasonable to take simple steps so that school is a safer place to be and so they can continue to enjoy the fun end of year activities.
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My coauthor @Michelle_Rozo and I examined 3 possible origin explanations that led to a 1950's strain getting a second chance to spread around the world: a deliberate release, a vaccine trial or challenge, or a laboratory accident.
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We also show how explanations of the 1977 flu have changed: once GOF research became a policy concern, the 1977 origin was more often ascribed to a lab accident. But a vaccine trial involving tens of thousands of people gone awry. well, that isn't a lab accident.
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Deliberate release origin: The flu was worse for young people including military recruits, who could be considered a potential target of a biological weapons attack. Over 9 days, 76% of the US Air Force Academy got sick, shutting it down temporarily.
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Failures in testing, continued. This was a serious problem in the early months of COVID-19, in mpox, and now with H5N1. There will be future disease emergencies-- we have to do better. The diagnostic testing ecosystem is crucial, it is critical infrastructure.
🚨Scoop: A behind-the-scenes look at the bird flu outbreak shows the US hasn't fixed a key failing from covid -- getting people tests. Only 45 people tested over the past 3 months. "We're flying blind," said @JenniferNuzzo. Mine @KFFHealthNews .
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A great (and growing) thread containing multiple informative threads from @angie_rasmussen @PhilippMarkolin @janeqiuchina and others, pushing back against the recently repackaged garbage from the lab leak crowd. It's a shame this pushback is even necessary.
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Scientists were reached for comment when the report dropped."Poppycock dressed up as 'science.'" said @K_G_Andersen "Nonsense" said @angie_rasmussen and many others. "
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We (@LaneWarmbrod @rachelmwest @ndconnell) have undertaken a scientific review of a pre-print by Yan et al. which presents a theory about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 but offers contradictory and inaccurate information that does not support their argument.
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This is a disgrace, @COVIDSelect. Lab leakers were hardly suppressed and furthermore, the evidence points away from that hypothesis. Can we not further suppress talking about illegal animal sales and One Health? Because the conditions that led to COVID-19 will happen again.
"Proximal Origins" played a pivotal role in wrongly suppressing the lab leak hypothesis. Americans deserve to know why this happened, who was involved, and how we can prevent the suppression of scientific discourse during a future pandemic.
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In the 1970's (and 80's, and. ), the Soviets employed tens of thousands to make biological weapons, but this wasn't yet known to the western world. They def didn't have the greatest safety record-- a couple years later in Sverdlovsk an anthrax accident killed at least 66 people.
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Someone on the fence about getting vaccinated just sent me a video of some MD spewing garbage about the CDC, ADE, made up risks-- I am pausing from screaming expletives to ask: 1. what are the consequences for MDs who actively cause harm & 2. why aren't there any?.
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Misinformation, disinformation, and twisting known facts to suit a given narrative have been rampant when discussing the SARS-CoV-2 origin. In the piece, I describe examples, including of these tactics working-- but as they say, 2 wrongs (or 2000) don't make a right.
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In early days, LAIV often reverted to being infectious. Many 1977 H1N1 isolates were temperature sensitive, suggesting lab manipulation to make a vaccine. The Soviets and Chinese had done LAIV flu trials with tens of thousands of children, and even did challenge studies (!!).
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Sharing an article on the future of US virology research w 78 authors, incl @angie_rasmussen @GoodrumVirusLab @anice_lowen and me. The ability to fight and prevent future pandemics is under threat. The U.S. will be left behind and…
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Programs like the media fellowship at @aaas should be expanded. Scientists should be funded to counter this garbage. The people behind orgs pushing lies _should_ be ashamed but aren't. This problem isn't going away soon, we need more creative solutions.
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This is such an honor for me, having long admired the important work the foundation has done to make improvements to int’l biosafety in Beth Griffin’s memory— looking forward to the ABSA conference and the lecture!.
Congrats to Sr Scholar @ggronvall on being named by @ABSAOffice as the recipient of this year's Griffin Lecture Award! The E. R. Griffin Lecture Series Award recognizes accomplishments that contribute to the awareness of biological +occupational safety.
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Laboratory safety is extremely important, and no one who works in a lab-- whether it is a public health lab in a low resource setting or a high containment lab with lots of engineered controls-- wants to get sick and potentially infect their families.
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Yan herself was funded and coached by Guo Wengui and Steve Bannon, appeared multiple times on Tucker Carlson Today, has more than 100K twitter followers. the whole sordid story is described here.
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However, flu vaccine manufacturing was more typically used as a _cover_ for biological weapons research. For example, Omutninsk Chemical Factory manufactured flu vaccine and crop production bacteria aboveground, while plague and tularemia worked on in underground facilities.
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