Dr. Jerome Adams talks about COVID lab leak, new at-home test for flu and coronavirus
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A newly updated report says the COVID-19 pandemic most likely came from a lab leak in China.
Dr. Jerome Adams, WISH-TV medical expert and a former U.S. surgeon general, says people should know that the Biden administration asked multiple agencies to look into the origins of the coronavirus, and four different agencies say that they thought it occurred naturally. Adams wasn’t surprised by the recent news.
“One agency, the FBI, said that they thought there was moderate evidence that it occurred from a lab leak and, previously, the Department of Energy, which is the department we’re talking about here right now, the agency in question said that they couldn’t decide. So recently, the Department of Energy weighed in and revised their report from ‘inconclusive’ to them saying that they feel that it was most likely from a lab leak. But again, they said that with low confidence.”
“It’s not as big of a deal as people are are making it out to be because you still don’t have anything conclusive, no smoking gun. But I am surprised that that the Biden administration didn’t publicize this more. It wasn’t talked about.”
On another COVID topic, Adams weighed in on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorizing what it says is the first at-home test that can tell users if they have the flu, COVID or both.
“Well, it’s been a long time coming, and, as you remember, we had the triple-demic in this most recent winter, the last couple of months, of RSV, a flu and of COVID. So if you had a cough, if you had a fever, you didn’t know what was going on, and this is one more tool that we have available to be able to make smarter decisions about should we isolate, should we take medications like Paxlovid or Tamiflu, should we go in to see a doctor. So I think it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a long time coming, and I think it will help people better track their their own personal sicknesses. It’s not going to do a good job of helping us track COVID on a broader scale because, again, most people aren’t going to report the results of this test.”
Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.