BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 2, 2021
Chinese media outlets have suggested that a 2019 shipment of Maine lobster was a “Pandora’s box” that unleashed the global COVID-19 pandemic. That claim comes after cooperation broke down over the summer between Chinese officials and World Health Organization investigators, who said the window for discovering the origins of the virus is “closing fast.” Earlier this year, WHO scientists concluded that the virus likely jumped from an animal to a human and ruled the possibility of a laboratory leak as “extremely unlikely.” The Chinese government has attempted to deflect criticism over its response to the initial outbreak of COVID-19, suggesting the virus originated outside the country.