Virus labs around the world need more oversight

Close watch: Security personnel guarding the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan, during the visit by the WHO team tasked with investigating the origins of Covid-19 in China. — Reuters

EVEN if we never learn whether Covid-19 escaped from a lab or jumped to humans from animals, the public is entitled to a closer look at what’s going on in virology labs.

Some scientists worry that laboratory scientists are getting too little oversight on projects that could potentially start pandemics. Others worry about the global proliferation of labs that work with dangerous viruses and other pathogens.