POLITICAL DISPUTE ABOUT HOW AND
WHERE THE VIRUS STARTED.
MYSTERY SURROUNDS THE
HIGH-SECURITY LAB AT THE WUHAN
INSTITUTE OF VIROLOGY.
MAKING IT THE TARGET OF
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE
ORIGIN OF THE VIRUS.
SO YOU’RE 100% CONFIDENT THERE
WAS NO LEAK, NO ACCIDENT?
>> I’M CONFIDENT THERE’S NO
LEAK.
>> Reporter: 100%?
>> 100%.
>> Reporter: THE INSTITUTE
GRANTED NBC NEWS THE FIRST
INDEPENDENT MEDIA ACCESS TO THE
LAB.
THIS IS THE DIRECTOR.
WE HAVEN’T ENCOUNTERED THIS
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS BEFORE, HE
SAID.
WITHOUT HAVING THIS VIRUS,
THERE’S NO WAY THAT IT COULD BE
LEAKED FROM THE LAB.
HAS ANYONE AT THE LAB EITHER
PERSONNEL OR CONNECTED TO THE
LAB, A THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR,
TESTED POSITIVE FOR THIS VIRUS?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: NOBODY?
>> NOBODY.
>> Reporter: WHILE THERE’S SOME
SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE LAB’S
CLAIMS, FIVE LEADING VIROLOGISTS
SIMILAR WITH LAB PROTOCOLS TOLD
US IMPROBABLE THE VIRUS SOMEHOW
ESCAPED.
THIS IS A RARE GLIMPSE AT THE
LAB.
A BOX WITHIN A BOX WITH AIR
LOCKS ON DOORS AND SEPARATE
FILTRATION SYSTEMS.
TECHNICIANS WERE TRAINED IN
FRANCE AND THE U.S.
WINDOWS TO LOOK OUT AND SEE IN.
>> THE CHINA VIRUS, THE CHINA
PLAGUE.
KUNG FLU.
>> Reporter: MORE MONTHS THE
U.S. AND CHINA HAVE BEEN LOCKED
IN A BATTLE OVER ACCUSATIONS.
>> THERE’S EVIDENCE IT CAME FROM
A LABORATORY.
>> Reporter: U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE
YET TO OFFER CREDIBLE PROOF THE
VIRUS CAME FROM THE WUHAN LAB.
A THEORY THAT’S ALSO BEING SHOT
DOWN BY DR. ANTHONY FAUCI FOR
LACKING SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.
BUT SCRUTINY GREW STRONGER WITH
THE LEAK THEN WE LEASE OF A
STATEMENT CABLE DATED JANUARY.
ABOUT A LACK OF STAFF.
THE U.S. DIPLOMATS VISITED ONLY
ONCE IN MARCH 2018 FOR A SEMINAR
THAT WASN’T ABOUT BIOSAFETY.
AT THAT TIME THE U.S. OFFICIALS
DIDN’T VISIT ANY OF THE LABS
SAYS WANG YANYI.
SO I’M NOT SURE WHAT THE SOURCE
WAS FOR THOSE CONCERNS.
FOR 15 YEARS, VIROLOGIST
COLLABORATED WITH WUHAN
SCIENTISTS LIKE CHINA’S BAT
WOMAN TO CATALOG HUNDREDS OF
BACK CORONAVIRUSES.
BUT IN APRIL THEY CUT FUNDING
BECAUSE OF THE LINKS TO THE LAB.
>> WE KNOW THAT THEY DID NOT
HAVE THE VIRUS THAT IT LEADS TO
COVID-19 IN THE LAB.
>> Reporter: CHINA FACES INTENSE
BACKLASH FOR FAILING TO CONTAIN
THE VIRUS AND FOR A LACK OF
TRANSPARENCY THAT HAS ALLOWED
SPECULATION ABOUT BLAME TO
FLOURISH.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEBODY WHO
SAYS I DON’T BELIEVE YOU?
>> IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE
BEEN TARGETED AS THE SCAPEGOAT.
DEEP DOWN INSIDE, WE KNOW THAT
WE ARE INNOCENT.
>> JANIS, YOU’VE BEEN ON THIS
STORY FROM THE BEGINNING.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE IN THAT
LAB THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAD
TALKED ABOUT?
>> Reporter: WELL, IT FELT LIKE
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING.
WE HAD BEEN ASKING FOR MONTHS
MAKING REPEATED REQUESTS TO
OFFICIALS, STARTED TO MAKE SOME
HEADWAY RECENTLY.
IT FELT VERY SIGNIFICANT TO US.
THIS IS A PLACE THAT PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD ARE TALKING
ABOUT.
IT’S THE SOURCE OF A DISPUTE FOR
POLITICIANS AND PUNDITS.
AND FOR SCIENTIST WHO IS HAVE
WORKED WITH THIS PUNDITLAB, THEY
WONDERING WHY THERE’S SO MUCH
CONTROVERSY.
WE SPENT CLOSE TO FIVE HOURS
THERE.
WE GOT THE TOUR OF THE LAB.
WE WERE SHOWN INSIDE TO WHERE
THEY WEAR THE POSITIVE PRESSURE
SUITS ATTACHED TO HOSES.
AND IT STRUCK ME THEN LOOKING
THROUGH THE WINDOW THAT THIS IS
WHERE SO MUCH CONTROVERSY IS
BEING CENTERED IN THIS TINY BOX
WITHIN A BOX IN THE MIDDLE OF
CHINA.
>> IT’S INTERESTING TO HEAR THE
TECHNICIANS THERE WERE TRAINED
HERE AND TRAINED IN FRANCE AS
WELL.
ALL OF THIS, JANIS, COMING AS
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION --
IT’S AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE
W.H.O. CONDUCTING ITS OWN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE ORIGIN OF
THE VIRUS.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THAT
INVESTIGATION AND WHERE IT
STANDS?
>> Reporter: WE’VE BEEN TOLD THE
WUHAN LAB WILL JOIN WHAT THE
W.H.O. CALLS A SCIENTIFIC STUDY.
BUT IT WON’T BE INVESTIGATED AS
A POSSIBLE ORIGIN FOR THE VIRUS.
A LARGER W.H.O. TEAM THAT
INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL AND
CHINESE SCIENTISTS IS LIKELY TO
GET STARTED IN THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS.
BUT ALREADY THE STATE DEPARTMENT
HAS SAID THAT IT EXPECTS THAT
THE INVESTIGATION WILL BE,
QUOTE, COMPLETELY WHITEWASHED.
NOW, OVERNIGHT THEY SENT US A
STATEMENT THAT DIDN’T EXACTLY
ADDRESS WHETHER U.S. DIPLOMATS
HAD ACTUALLY SEEN THE LAB IN
WUHAN, BUT IT DID CRITICIZE
CHINA’S GOVERNMENT FOR ITS LACK
OF TRANSPARENCY.
BUT SCIENTISTS LIKE PETER SAY
THAT THIS IS WHY INTERNATIONAL
CLB RATION AMONG SCIENTISTS IS
SO IMPORTANT.
IT’S SO KEY BECAUSE IT ALLOWS
BETTER ACCESS TO DATA AND
INFORMATION SHARING.
ESPECIALLY WITH SCIENTISTS WHO
ARE IN THE PLACE WHERE THE