Econo-Bio Warfare: Containment Breach at Wuhan Institute of Virology?

With the Manchurian Candidate – China Joe and members of the Famiglia Biden crime family – about to complete the coup and take office, you got to give credit to Secretary of State Pompeo for releasing their assessment of the Red Ponzi’s Bio-Econo strike: https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/

Since there’s the Ponzi’s economic allies in the new regime are likely to drop this into a Memory Hole (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_hole) as it’s “bad for business”, here’s the full text:

For more than a year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has systematically prevented a transparent and thorough investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin, choosing instead to devote enormous resources to deceit and disinformation. Nearly two million people have died. Their families deserve to know the truth. Only through transparency can we learn what caused this pandemic and how to prevent the next one.

The U.S. government does not know exactly where, when, or how the COVID-19 virus—known as SARS-CoV-2—was transmitted initially to humans. We have not determined whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

The virus could have emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals, spreading in a pattern consistent with a natural epidemic. Alternatively, a laboratory accident could resemble a natural outbreak if the initial exposure included only a few individuals and was compounded by asymptomatic infection. Scientists in China have researched animal-derived coronaviruses under conditions that increased the risk for accidental and potentially unwitting exposure.

The CCP’s deadly obsession with secrecy and control comes at the expense of public health in China and around the world. The previously undisclosed information in this fact sheet, combined with open-source reporting, highlights three elements about COVID-19’s origin that deserve greater scrutiny:

1. Illnesses inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV):

  • The U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. This raises questions about the credibility of WIV senior researcher Shi Zhengli’s public claim that there was “zero infection” among the WIV’s staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses.
  • Accidental infections in labs have caused several previous virus outbreaks in China and elsewhere, including a 2004 SARS outbreak in Beijing that infected nine people, killing one.
  • The CCP has prevented independent journalists, investigators, and global health authorities from interviewing researchers at the WIV, including those who were ill in the fall of 2019. Any credible inquiry into the origin of the virus must include interviews with these researchers and a full accounting of their previously unreported illness.

2. Research at the WIV:

  • Starting in at least 2016 – and with no indication of a stop prior to the COVID-19 outbreak – WIV researchers conducted experiments involving RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2% similar). The WIV became a focal point for international coronavirus research after the 2003 SARS outbreak and has since studied animals including mice, bats, and pangolins.
  • The WIV has a published record of conducting “gain-of-function” research to engineer chimeric viruses. But the WIV has not been transparent or consistent about its record of studying viruses most similar to the COVID-19 virus, including “RaTG13,” which it sampled from a cave in Yunnan Province in 2013 after several miners died of SARS-like illness.
  • WHO investigators must have access to the records of the WIV’s work on bat and other coronaviruses before the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of a thorough inquiry, they must have a full accounting of why the WIV altered and then removed online records of its work with RaTG13 and other viruses.

3. Secret military activity at the WIV:

  • Secrecy and non-disclosure are standard practice for Beijing. For many years the United States has publicly raised concerns about China’s past biological weapons work, which Beijing has neither documented nor demonstrably eliminated, despite its clear obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention.
  • Despite the WIV presenting itself as a civilian institution, the United States has determined that the WIV has collaborated on publications and secret projects with China’s military. The WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017.
  • The United States and other donors who funded or collaborated on civilian research at the WIV have a right and obligation to determine whether any of our research funding was diverted to secret Chinese military projects at the WIV.

Today’s revelations just scratch the surface of what is still hidden about COVID-19’s origin in China. Any credible investigation into the origin of COVID-19 demands complete, transparent access to the research labs in Wuhan, including their facilities, samples, personnel, and records.

As the world continues to battle this pandemic – and as WHO investigators begin their work, after more than a year of delays – the virus’s origin remains uncertain. The United States will continue to do everything it can to support a credible and thorough investigation, including by continuing to demand transparency on the part of Chinese authorities.

CoVid Phylogeny Update

CoVid continues to be a remarkably stable genome.

Stability is consistent with an anthropogenic intervention and not consistent with a species jump.

As reported in Nature (Li et al., 2020), MRP pseudo-sequence supertree analysis firmly disputes bat coronavirus RaTG13 as the last common ancestor of SARS-CoV-2, which was implied by other phylogenetic tree analysis based on viral genome sequences.

Figure 2

Li et al:

As the phylogenetic MRP pseudo-sequence supertree and ML tree exhibited, RaTG13 (MN996532), bat-SL-CoVZC45 (MG772933), bat-SL-CoVZXC21 (MG772934) and SARS-CoV-2s formed one major clade (Fig. 2, Supplementary Fig. S1). In particular, RaTG13 isolated from bat Rhinolophus affinis (Yunnan, China), is the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2s, which substantiates the previously reported phylogeny of SARS-CoV-2s constructed with the whole genome39,40. However, the phylogenetic distance of SARS-CoV-2s and RaTG13 was distinctly exhibited in the MRP pseudo-sequence supertree (Fig. 2); by contrast, it was barely observed in the phylogenetic ML tree constructed in this study (Supplementary Fig. S1) or previous report3

Whatsoever, the above distinct phylogenetic analysis results showed beyond a reasonable doubt that the rates of evolution on sequences of varied proteins in SARS-CoV-2s are highly non-uniform. There probably exists another bat coronavirus in divergent species as the adjacent ancestor of SARS-CoV-2, and/or SARS-CoV-2s already made advanced evolution in its animal host. Anyway, what is clear is that the actual validity of RaTG13 be the direct ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 is seriously questioned, although they share 96.5% identical genome sequence. Taking RaTG13 as the last common ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 would seriously mislead phylogenetic inference of SARS-CoV-2.

Also notable this week is the report in News-medical.net summarizing a recent bioRxiv* preprint study in which University of Hawaii researchers showed that the S gene of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is continuously mutating. Further, the researchers report phylogenetic analysis suggesting a unique strain with an emerging mutation in an altered spike glycoprotein may be present in Hawaii.

References:

Li, T., Liu, D., Yang, Y., Guo, J., Feng, Y., Zhang, X., … Feng, J. (2020). Phylogenetic supertree reveals detailed evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Scientific Reports10(1), 22366.

Study shows P681H mutation is becoming globally prevalent among SARS-CoV-2 sequences. (2021, January 10). Retrieved January 16, 2021, from News-medical.net website: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210110/Study-shows-P681H-mutation-is-becoming-globally-prevalent-among-SARS-CoV-2-sequences.aspx

auspice. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2021, from Nextstrain.org website: https://nextstrain.org/ncov/global

Gamma Games

Single stock open-interest at all-time-high levels, which is why today’s expiry is important for stocks, especially for names with large open interest in at-the-money (ATM) 15-Jan options,

At the close, the market is down 0.7% while gamma exposure spiking up all time high as the following chart from Sundial Research shows.

“Dealers are short calls due to the unprecedented call activity previously mentioned, and as a result have been forced to chase stocks higher to hedge,” Chris Murphy, Susquehanna’s co-head of derivatives strategy, wrote in a note to clients according to Bloomberg. “The unwind could potentially be violent given all the excess euphoria. It is more likely a question of when and not if.”

Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge shared the table below listing those stocks where a large percentage of contracts, relative to their average daily volume traded, expire today leading to acute “pinning”.

For more, read ZH: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/gamma-geddon-sparks-stocks-biggest-weekly-loss-halloween

CoVid Camelids

In a posting on Virology (https://www.virology.ws/2021/01/14/camelids-for-covid/), Columbia University Professor Vincent Racaniello makes the cases for mass production of camelid monoclonal antibodies to rapidly suppress CoVid than possible through monoclonal antibodies.

Racaniello argues the antigen binding domain (VHH in the figure) can be produced on its own in a nanobody. Two VHH domains can be linked together to target separate epitopes (scFv in the figure).  Since VHH single domain antibodies lack the Fc domain, and therefore cannot bind Fc receptors, this strategy avoids antibody-dependent enhancement.

To produce nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2, an alpaca and a llama were immunized with purified spike protein. Three nanobodies from the alpaca and one from the llama were identified that neutralize virus infection of cells in culture. The results of binding and structural studies revealed that three of the nanobodies recognize an epitope on the spike protein that is distinct from the site recognized by the other nanobody.

Three of the four nanobodies appear to block virus infection of cells by causing the spike protein to change to the post-fusion conformation, which is irreversible. The spike post-fusion conformation is usually attained upon binding to the cell receptor, ACE2, but the nanobodies can trigger fusion in the absence of this protein.

It appears nanobodies can be delivered to the respiratory mucosa by inhalation of aerosols. This delivery method could reduce the dose needed and allow treatment outside of medical facilities. 

Capped Demand

Per WSJ:

Global appetite for oil will remain subdued in the first quarter of 2021 due to coronavirus lockdown measures and rising infection rates, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Thursday.

In its monthly report, OPEC maintained its forecast that world oil demand in 2021 won’t recover to the levels seen before the pandemic. Global demand took a 10% hit last year and the cartel expects it to rebound to 95.9 million barrels a day this year, but remain 4% below 2019 levels.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-demand-recovery-set-to-fall-short-of-pre-pandemic-levels-this-year-11610626800?mod=markets_minor_pos4

False Flag Raid on the Capitol?

Image

National Pulse reports Anitfa/BLM leader John Sullivan was active in his Discord chat channel advocating participation in the Capitol raid in the days leading up to January 6.

iDiscord s allegedly affiliated with Sullivan’s Insurgence USA group, which describes itself as “forming a rainbow coalition to unite all people under one banner to fight for liberation and freedom for all people.”

Democrats on Protests

American Protest: Images From the Past 24 Hours - The Atlantic

Martin Luther King

A riot is the language of the unheard.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey

if I were in those conditions… I have enough spark left in me to lead a mighty good revolt under those conditions.

Adlai Stevenson

In the great struggle to advance civil and human rights, even a jail sentence is no longer a dishonor but a proud achievement. … Perhaps we are destined to see in this law-loving land people running for office not on their stainless records but on their prison records.

Supreme Court Justice Willim O. Douglas

We must realize that today’s Establishment is the new George III. Whether it will continue to adhere to his tactics, we do not know. If it does, the redress, honored in tradition, is also revolution!

Senator Robert Kennedy

A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.

China Joe v. Gold

gold/spx ratio and hui index

China Joe seems bent on blowing out the money supply in an absolutely pathetic hope of “stimulating” demand and GDP growth.

Well, the only thing likely to be “stimulated” is the demand for synthetic gold (you know what that is) and gold.

Here are your trading targets – “shooters, watch your lane.”

hui

Cancel Yourself

Michael Krieger:

In this regard, I have a simple suggestion. Cancel Yourself. Unshackle yourself mentally from our suffocating and bland corporate culture while you still have a chance to do it voluntarily. Cancel yourself before they have a chance to cancel you. In this there is power. You’re taking charge and acting proactively as opposed to reacting. We need to play the game on our own terms, because the game’s coming for us either way.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cancel-yourself

Econo-Bio War and China Joe

The Red Ponzi’s bio-econo war that began in 2020 certainly delivered the goods: December trade surplus up 34$ YoY and setting monthly records in wealth transfer from the US.

And, of all things that leads the transfer is … wait for it … healthcare/covid-related products.

With China Joe and their paid agents in Congress and the Oligarchy, 2021 looks like the return to the glory days of Clinton Inc., and Obama.

As if Trump and the MAGA Years never happened – cancelled, to be precise.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/what-trade-war-chinese-trade-surplus-hits-all-time-high-soaring-exports-pandemic-goods