Renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, who chaired The Lancet’s COVID-19 Commission, has found himself at the center of the contentious debate over the origins of the coronavirus. In September, Sachs presented the commission’s findings, stating that both the natural-origin theory and the lab-leak theory remain viable and neither has been disproven. However, his involvement in the debate has been met with criticism from fellow scientists.
In the early days of the pandemic, Sachs denounced the lab-leak theory as “reckless and dangerous,” but over time, his position shifted. Sachs disbanded a task force within The Lancet commission dedicated to studying COVID’s origins, accusing members of hiding conflicts of interest due to their connections to the Wuhan research institute, which some suspect of accidentally leaking the virus.
Sachs’s critics argue that he is playing politics and fueling conspiracy theories. However, Sachs believes that the origins investigation is an essential check on virus research, particularly “gain of function” research, which he considers dangerous and risky. In recent months, the lab-leak theory has gained increasing consideration, with the Department of Energy changing its opinion to “low confidence” that SARS-CoV-2 likely came from a lab leak.
Despite the ongoing debate, Sachs maintains that the truth about the pandemic’s origins must be pursued. Some fellow scientists, however, have accused him of jeopardizing funding for virus research and fostering animosity within the scientific community. As both the natural-origin and the lab-leak theories remain plausible, the search for conclusive evidence continues.
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