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Virus Origin: Beijing Stressed Bio Lab Safety in December 2019 and January 2020

In December 2019 and January 2020, Epoch Times obtained multiple official documents from Beijing City and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (AR), regarding the management of bio labs.

1. December 31, 2019: The Inner Mongolia Health Commission issued the “Emergency Notice from the Inner Mongolia AR Health Commission on Effectively Strengthening the Biosafety Management of Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratories on Human Infectious Diseases.” The notice was marked “Urgent.” The notice stated that the health administrative departments and relevant units at all levels should take it as a “political positioning” issue. The health administrative departments at all levels should conduct early detection, immediate verification, prompt reporting, and proper handling of possible emergencies. The notice asked subordinate health commissions to register the first and second classes of pathogenic microbiology laboratories and conduct regular systematic reviews of those labs.

2. January 3, 2020: The General Office of the National Health Commission issued a not-to-release-to-public “Notice of the General Office of the National Health Commission on Strengthening the Management of Biological Sample Resources and Related Research Activities in the Prevention and Control of Major Emergent Infectious Diseases.” In this notice, “biological samples” was defined as blood, pharyngeal swabs, sputum, tracheal aspiration or bronchial lavage fluid, urine, and feces of patients, suspected patients, and their close contacts. The notice prohibits all institutions and individuals from publishing information about pathogen detection and experimental activities on their own.

3. January 14, 2020: The Health Commission of the Changping District, Beijing issued a not-to-release-to-public “Notice on Conducting Special Supervision and Inspection of Pathogen Microbiology Laboratories.” The notice requires good handling in the collection, transportation, use, and scientific research management of biological sample resources. It asked the first, second, and third classes of biosafety laboratories to conduct self-inspection on January 15 and 16. Another document, “Changping District Pathogen Microbiology Laboratory Biosafety Supervision Checklist” provides a set of procedures for the reception and storage of viruses.

4. January 16, 2020: The Scientific Discipline Education Division of the Beijing Hospital Management Center issued the “Emergency Notice on the Mutual Inspection of Laboratory Biosafety in Municipal Hospitals.” The notice said that the Beijing Hospital Management Center would organize a mutual biosafety inspection of 22 hospital laboratories in the city from January 17 to 21.

5. January 16, 2020: The Science and Technology Education Department of the Beijing Health Commission issued the “Notice of the Beijing Health Commission on Holding Laboratory Biosafety Training.”

6. January 16, 2020: The National Health Commission issued the “Notice of the General Office of the National Health Commission on Printing and Distributing Biosafety Guidelines for Novel Coronavirus Laboratories.” The notice was marked “urgent” and “not to be released to the public.” It emphasized “for internal use only and not allowed to be spread on the Internet.” The notice provided detailed regulations on how to extract nucleic acids from viral cultures, conduct animal infection experiments, and handle uncultivated infectious materials.

7. February 14, 2020: At a meeting of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi Jinping mentioned “Biosecurity” five times and asked “to incorporate biosecurity into the national security system and to publish the ‘Biosecurity Law’ as soon as possible.”

8. From April 26 to 29, 2020: The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress discussed “The Draft of the Biosecurity Law.”

Related postings on Chinascope:

Excerpt in Chinese:

大纪元独家获得的内蒙古卫健委去年12月31日下发的《内蒙古自治区卫生健康委员会办公室关于切实加强人间传染的病原微生物实验室生物安全管理工作的紧急通知》的文件,当时该通知标明“特急”。

通知提到,各级卫生健康行政部门及相关单位要切实提高“政治站位”。各级卫生健康行政部门要做好隐患排查、督促整改等工作,对可能发生的突发事件,做到及早发现、立即核实、迅速报告、妥善处置。

通知称,各盟市卫生健康委要重点加强辖区内一、二级病原微生物实验室备案工作,定期组织对已备案的生物安全实验室进行系统梳理,重点清理不符合备案要求、非实验场地扩大备案、扩大范围开展实验活动等问题。

早在1月3日,中共国家卫生健康委员会办公厅下发了“不予公开”的《国家卫生健康委办公厅关于在重大突发传染病防控工作中加强生物样本资源及相关科研活动管理工作的通知》。

这个通知内,已经定义了“生物样本”为:病人和疑似病人及其密切接触者的血液、咽拭子、痰液、气管吸取液或支气管灌洗液、尿液、粪便等等。同时要求任何机构和个人不得擅自对外发布有关病原检测及实验活动结果等信息。

1月14日,北京市昌平区卫健委下发了“不予公开”的《关于开展病原微生物实验室生物安全专项监督检查工作的通知》。通知要求,要做好对病例生物样本资源采集、运输、使用及科研活动管理等工作。通知称,1月15日至16日,对辖区内一级、二级及三级生物安全实验室开展自查,区、市级卫健委监督检查。

另一份《昌平区病原微生物实验室生物安全监督检查表》的内部文件显示,相关单位对病毒的接收、储藏都明确了一套程序。

该检查表内容显示,有菌(毒)种和样本的管理制度,至少包括接收、使用、处置(贮存、销毁和转运)等重要内容;包括自查与监查形式、频次、主要项目、责任人等重要内容。

1月16日,北京市医院管理中心科研学科教育处下发了《关于开展市属医院实验室生物安全互查工作的紧急通知》。该通知显示,北京市医院管理中心突然定于1月17至21日对市属22家医院实验室组织生物安全互查工作。

1月16日,北京市卫健委科技教育处下发了《北京市卫生健康委员会关于举办实验室生物安全培训的通知》。

1月16日,中共国家卫生健康委办公厅下发了《国家卫生健康委办公厅关于印发新型冠状病毒实验室生物安全指南的通知》。该通知标明“特急”、“不予公开”,还强调了“供内部工作使用,不得在互联网传播”。

通知还对如何使用病毒培养物提取核酸、动物感染实验、未经培养的感染性材料的操作等,均做出细致的规定。

2月14日,习近平主持中共中央“深改”会议时,更连提五次“生物安全”,并要求“把生物安全纳入国家安全体系,尽快推动出台《生物安全法》”。

4月26日至29日,在北京举行的中共全国人大常委会会议上,讨论《生物安全法草案》等。

Source: Epoch Times, May 2, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/5/2/n12077007.htm