US Senate’s Fauci hearing renews COVID origin debate but reveals little

Washington, DC – A Senate committee hearing this week has once again shone a spotlight on the political divisions over the United States government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Wednesday’s hearing, held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, continued years of criticism, mainly from Republicans, against immunologist Anthony Fauci, who led the government’s response to the pandemic.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3An AIDS-free generation is within reach, but not guaranteedlist 2 of 3Todd Blanche’s loyalty to Trump questioned in Senate confirmation hearinglist 3 of 3Hakeem Jeffries puts affordability at centre of Democrats’ midterm campaignend of listSpearheaded by committee chair Rand Paul, several Republicans rehashed claims that the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, emerged from an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, China, and did not naturally transfer from animals to humans.Stephen Morrison, the director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the hearing was a reflection of the deep, enduring partisan divides over the issue.But he added that the meeting with Fauci did litt...