My Take | US senator plays the fool on coronavirus
Republican Tom Cotton shows himself up by promoting a discredited conspiracy theory about the new virus
Paranoia and fear about an epidemic are often worse than the disease itself. If you want to get a taste of the insanity provoked by the new coronavirus, look no further than US Republican Senator Tom Cotton.
This is because the epicentre of the outbreak is near the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is certified to handle the world’s deadliest viruses.
But it is a complete falsehood. Why? The genome of the virus has been decoded and published. Scientists who have looked at the results have no doubt it is a naturally evolving virus. But while it may be false, the theory is not fringe any more because Cotton is actively promoting it.
This has prompted a rebuttal from Chinese ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai.
“This will create panic,” he said. “It will fan up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus.”
The senator has been on a tear since January, calling for all Americans to leave China, a ban to prevent Chinese nationals from entering the US and a “Manhattan Project-level effort to create a vaccine”, a reference to the secret project that produced the world’s first atomic bombs.