Investigations into Covid origin are needed, CDC official says

Principal Deputy Director Director of the CDC Dr. Anne Schuchat testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on May 19, in Washington, DC. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with NPR Friday that investigations into the origins of Covid-19 are needed and important.

“I want all the questions to be answered,” said Schuchat. “There’s so much we need to learn about this virus and this pandemic so that we do better next time and prevent where we can.”

Sometimes scientists have questions because they’re curious, she said, adding that she thinks “more is better, but I think there’s a lot we really do need to know here. So, understanding where this came from and how it spread so easily, I think is important.”

When asked how seriously she takes the possibility that the virus may have originated in a Chinese lab in some form, Schuchat said, “I think we need to do the investigations, I think they’re important.”

Asked if she doesn’t rule that possibility out, she said “I don’t think we have all the answers that we need and so I support the idea of additional investigations and, you know, getting to the bottom of that.”