US intelligence services are studying the catalog of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which contains genetic data taken from 22 thousand virus samples studied in a laboratory in Wuhan
This became known from the CNN message.
The material does not contain information on how the Americans were able to access the catalog, however, the version about hacking of the cloud storage, where the sought data was stored, is allowed.
According to the sources of the TV company, the special services are having problems studying the information received, since this requires personnel not only with the proper level of clearance, but also speaking the Mandarin dialect, since all the data was saved in Chinese with special vocabulary.
“Obviously there are scientists who have passed the security screening,” one source familiar with intelligence told CNN. “But those who speak Mandarin have been tested? This is a very small pool. And not only scientists, but also those who specialize in biology? So you can see how it (the search for personnel – ed.) becomes difficult”.
Also involved in the work are supercomputers in the laboratories of the US Department of Energy.
The question for researchers is whether this or other laboratories in China had virus samples or other contextual information that could help them trace the evolutionary history of the coronavirus.
The special interest of Americans in the laboratory is justified by the desire to accuse China of creating the coronavirus.
“We believe that the investigation should concern the PRC’s efforts to prevent an international investigation into the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and other actions taken by the PRC authorities to conceal the nature of the virus and its transmission”, the US Senate said.
In May, US leader Joe Biden urged US intelligence officials to investigate the origins of Covid-19, including the possibility of a laboratory leak, and report the findings within 90 days.