UNION AND CHERNOBYL.
MATTHEW POTTINGER, THANK YOU FOR
COMING ON AND SHARING YOUR
PERSPECTIVE.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANKS, CHUCK.
>>> JOINING ME IS DR. PETER
HOTEZ, DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL CENTER FOR
VACCINE DEVELOPMENT, REALLY ONE
OF THE NATIONS LEADING EXPERTS
ON ALL THINGS IN INFECTIOUS
DISEASES
DR. HOTEZ, WELCOME BACK TO "MEET
THE PRESS.
LET ME START WITH THIS, HOW
IMPORTANT IS IT TO KNOW THE
ORIGIN OF COVID?
>> ITS ABSOLUTELYESSENTIAL,
CHUCK.
HERE IS THE REASON WHY
THIS IS OUR THIRD PANDEMIC OF
THE 21st CENTURY
WE LAD THE ORIGINAL SARS IN 2002
AND 2003 THAT AROSE OUT OF
SOUTHERN CHINA, AFFECTED
TORONTO, ONTARIO
WE HAD RESPIRATORY SYNDROME THAT
CAUSED A TERRIBLE EPIDEMIC IN
SOUTH KOREA IN 2015.
THIS IS THE THIRD ONE.
NATURE -- MOTHER NATURE IS
TELLING US WHATS GOING TO
HAPPEN
THERES GOING TO BE COVID 26 AND
COVID 32 UNLESS WE FULLY
UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF
COVID-19
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
WHATS NEEDED -- WHAT IM
CONCERNED ABOUT IS I THINK THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
ALL OVER THIS FOR THE LAST YEAR
AND A HALF
ITS NOT LIKE THEYVE NOT MADE
EFFORTS.
I THINK -- IM PERSONALLY OF THE
OPINION THAT WEVE PUSHED
INTELLIGENCE ABOUT AS FAR AS WE
CAN.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WE NEED TO
DO AN OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION
WE NEED THE TEAM OF SCIENTISTS,
OF EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, VIROLOGISTS,
BAT
BAT KOL GISTS IN THE PROVINCE
FOR A SIX-MONTH PERIOD AND FULLY
UNRAVEL THE ORIGINS OF COVID-19.
THAT INCLUDES COLLECTING VIRUS
SAMPLES AND BLOOD SAMPLES FROM
DOMESTIC LIFE STOCK, FROM BATS,
FROM LABORATORY ANIMALS.
IT MEANS DOING THE SAME FOR
PEOPLE LIVING IN THE ENDEMIC
AREA
REMEMBER, THERE ARE SOME
INDICATIONS THAT THIS MAY HAVE
ACTUALLY STARTED IN HUAWEI
PROVINCE AS EARLY AS THE SUMMER
OF 2018.
THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
REPORTED THE FIRST KNOWN CASE
WAS IN NOVEMBER.
THERES A LOT GOING FOR NATURAL
ORIGINS.
IT ALSO MEANS INTERVIEWING THE
SCIENTISTS, TOO, AND LOOKING AT
LAB NOTEBOOKS.
WE HAVE TO DO THIS
ITS NOT ONLY IN THE NATIONAL
INTEREST OF CHINA AND THE UNITED
STATES, ITS IN OUR GLOBAL
INTEREST.
>> CAN IT BE DONE WITHOUT
CHINAS COOPERATION?
IS THIS ONE OF THOSE THINGS
WHERE WERE STUCK HAVING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THE
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS IN COUNTRY TO DO
THESE THINGS
CAN THIS BE DONE WITHOUT CHINAS
COOPERATION?
>> YEAH.
I DONT SEE HOW.
I THINK WE HAVE TO REALLY PUT A
LOT OF PRESSURE ON CHINA,
INCLUDING POSSIBLE SANCTIONS TO
ALLOW A TEAM OF OUTSTANDING
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND VIROLOGISTS
IN CHINA WITH UNFETTERED ACCESS
TO ANIMALS, TO PEOPLE, TO
SAMPLES AND THE LAB.
ITS NOT GOING TO BE QUICK
ITS GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME
BY THE WAY, ITS IN CHINAS OWN
NATIONAL INTEREST TO DO THIS
NOW TWO OF THE MAJOR CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMICS HAVE COME OUT OF
CHINA, AND IF YOUVE EVER BEEN
TO THAT PART OF CHINA, WE DID A
LOT OF WORK IN CHINA IN THE
1990s.
ITS THIS VAST MIXING BOWL IN
HUBEI PROVINCE, THIS VAST MIXING
BOWL OF GOATS AND PIGS AND DUCKS
AND CHICKENS AND HIGH POPULATION
DENSITY.
THATS WHY THE INFLUENZA VIRUSES
OFTEN ARISE OUT OF CHINA AS
WELL
WEVE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
>> IS THERE ANY WAY TO
SCIENTIFICALLY PROVE THAT THIS
OCCURRED NATURALLY WITHOUT GOING
TO CHINA
IT SEEMS LIKE IT HASNT BEEN
REPLICATED YET WITH BATS
EXPLAIN THAT
>> WELL, I THINK THATS EXACTLY
WHAT WE NEED TO DO
WE NEED TO -- THATS WHY IM
TALKING ABOUT FULL ACCESS.
I THINK REALLY A DETAILED
ANALYSIS OF BAT POPULATIONS, ALL
OF THE POSSIBLE RESERVOIR
ANIMALS AND PEOPLE, AND WITHOUT
THAT, ITS GOING TO BE REALLY
HARD TO SORT THIS OUT.
IT COULD BE THAT SOME OF THE
CHINESE SCIENTISTS ARE ALREADY
DOING THIS
I HAVENT SEEN A LOT PUBLISHED
COMING OUT OF CHINA ABOUT THAT
THIS IS -- WE KNOW HOW TO DO
THIS
WERE ABLE TO UNRAVEL ITFOR
OTHER MAJOR PANDEMICS.
WE COULD DO THIS FOR COVID-19.
WE HAVE THE TOOLS.
>> DR. PETER HOTEZ, APPRECIATE