You really think the US just abandoned that “research?” Of course they didn’t.
Duh. I just told you that.
But I disagree with you. By not having this research conducted in our backyard, we have the distinct advantage of not being the first ones in the line of fire once their modified viruses inevitably get out of containment and start affecting the population. Reducing the impacts of an outbreak on our own people is a great benefit. In the Wu flu's case, it meant that the most virulent version of the virus did not hit us. Taiwan was warning about an outbreak of a highly potent flu virus in China in November of 2019, and it took at least until February of 2020 until it reached North American shores in a significant capacity. That was months of buffer, during which the virus evolved and became less lethal. I am glad that this did not happen here.
Duh. I just told you that.
But I disagree with you. By not having this research conducted in our backyard, we have the distinct advantage of not being the first ones in the line of fire once their modified viruses inevitably get out of containment and start affecting the population. Reducing the impacts of an outbreak on our own people is a great benefit. In the Wu flu's case, it meant that the most virulent version of the virus did not hit us. Taiwan was warning about an outbreak of a highly potent flu virus in China in November of 2019, and it took at least until February of 2020 until it reached North American shores in a significant capacity. That was months of buffer, during which the virus evolved and became less lethal. I am glad that this did not happen here.