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Coronavirus pandemic
ChinaScience

Wuhan lab coronavirus conspiracy theories shine spotlight on super-secure facilities

  • The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been at the centre of a number of Covid-19 conspiracy theories, including one that the virus accidentally escaped
  • The facility has the highest possible levels of security to stop deadly pathogens escaping and accidents are rare in such labs

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Researchers put on protective suits at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Photo: Xinhua
Zhuang Pinghui
A biosafety laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that has become the centre of a number of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus is one of the world’s most secure facilities.
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Despite recent suggestions that the virus may somehow have escaped from the lab, it – and other similar facilities – have strict precautions in place to prevent such an occurrence.

While human error can never be entirely eliminated, such accidents are extremely rare and those familiar with working in this environment have explained that researchers working in them are subjected to a number of strict checks and controls.

But while some Hollywood movies and the video game Resident Evil have popularised the idea of pathogens being accidentally released, scientists say it is unlikely that this could happen in labs that are designed to contain deadly pathogens and must be certified to meet the highest safety standards.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was certified as a biosafety level four (BSL-4) facility in 2017 and joined an elite club of more than 40 planned or operational facilities worldwide.
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The institute has been approved to study the most deadly pathogens such as Ebola, West African Lassa virus and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever viruses. Other less lethal pathogens are also studied in lower-security facilities.

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