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Comment by Katherine Eban
Vanity Fair special correspondent
Though he thinks it’s far more likely COVID-19 originated in nature, he said of a possible laboratory escape, “You can’t rule that out.” [...] Baric told congressional investigators that he believes it’s far more likely that SARS-CoV-2 spilled over naturally from animals to humans, given the sheer abundance of viruses in nature. But he also said in his testimony that he disagrees with the most widely promulgated spillover argument: that the virus leapt from infected animals to people at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where it first burst into public view in December 2019.AI Verified (May 1, 2024)
2h ago
Policy proposals and claims
votes Against
Statement relation comments
AI Verified
The quote is directly about the statement’s core issue—lab incident versus natural spillover. In source context, Baric says a lab escape cannot be ruled out, but the article reports that he told investigators it was far more likely SARS-CoV-2 spilled over naturally; his disagreement with the Huanan market theory does not change that broader preference for natural origin. That makes a determinate stance on the complete statement substantially more likely, so the quote is relevant. ([vanityfair.com](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/ralph-baric-wuhan-lab-leak))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Vote answer comments
AI Verified
He explicitly says it is "far more likely COVID-19 originated in nature" and treats a lab escape only as something you "can't rule out," so he regards natural spillover as more likely than a lab-related origin. ([vanityfair.com](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/ralph-baric-wuhan-lab-leak))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Quote authenticity verification history
Report thisQuote authenticity comments
AI Verified
Vanity Fair’s fetchable article by Katherine Eban, dated May 1, 2024, contains both parts of this quote at the cited URL: the standfirst says, “Though he thinks it’s far more likely COVID-19 originated in nature, he said of a possible laboratory escape, ‘You can’t rule that out,’” and later the body says, “Baric told congressional investigators that he believes it’s far more likely that SARS-CoV-2 spilled over naturally from animals to humans... But he also said in his testimony that he disagrees with the most widely promulgated spillover argument...” The [...] therefore links two noncontiguous verbatim excerpts without materially changing meaning. The stored author, date, and source URL match the article. ([vanityfair.com](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/ralph-baric-wuhan-lab-leak))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
replying to Katherine Eban