"China Sees Surge in Orders for COVID-19 PCR Test Kits Since Before the Pandemic"

"May 2019 Wuhan Testing Equipment Expenditure Doubled"
Controversy Over the Origin of COVID-19 Virus Expected to Intensify

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A U.S. cybersecurity company has released a report stating that Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China?known as the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak?placed large orders for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing machines starting in 2019, before COVID-19 became a global pandemic. This is expected to reignite controversy over the so-called "China origin theory" that COVID-19 began in China.

According to Bloomberg News on the 4th (local time), the cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 reported that purchases of PCR testing machines in Hubei Province suddenly surged starting in May 2019, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Internet 2.0's investigation found that Hubei Province spent 67.4 million yuan (approximately 12.4 billion KRW) on PCR testing, more than double the amount spent the previous year.

Internet 2.0 stated that the report was based on records from a website aggregating bidding information on public sector procurement contracts in Hubei Province. If the report is accurate, it could be interpreted that Hubei authorities faced the COVID-19 issue at least seven months before the first COVID-19 death in China was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019.

In the report, Internet 2.0 explained, "PCR testing is used to detect the presence of specific gene sequences in samples and, although it has applications beyond COVID-19 testing, no other disease can explain the unusual surge in orders outside the COVID-19 context." The report further noted that orders from research institutions such as universities in Hubei doubled, orders from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention increased fivefold, and orders from the animal experiment bureau surged more than tenfold. It emphasized, "The surge in orders in May suggests that this was the earliest start date of COVID-19 infections."

Researchers who independently examined the data presented by Internet 2.0 also view it as potential evidence that the Chinese government was aware of the COVID-19 risk before the pandemic. Akira Igata, a visiting professor at Tama Graduate School of Business in Tokyo, told Nikkei Asia in an interview, "While public procurement information alone cannot provide certainty, it can serve as strong evidence proving at least some awareness of COVID-19. It indicates that the Chinese government recognized the emergence of the COVID-19 virus in Hubei and around Wuhan at least half a year before the pandemic."

The Chinese government promptly refuted the report. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Bloomberg News, "The Chinese government's white paper on COVID-19 response, based on clear timelines and confirmed facts, states that symptoms similar to COVID-19, such as coughing and diarrhea, began to appear in Wuhan in August 2019." The spokesperson added, "We consider this research result to be in the same category as other suspicious claims attempting to blame China for the origin of COVID-19."

The report is expected to further fuel the COVID-19 origin theory implicating China, which has been raised internationally, including in the United States. According to Bloomberg News, many scientists in the U.S. continue to strongly assert the claim that the COVID-19 virus leaked from the Wuhan Virus Research Institute.