A specialized team in the United States has concluded its investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic that has been ongoing for nearly two years, releasing the final report on Monday, December 2nd. The report unveiled details about the origin of the pandemic, the impact of response measures, and will serve as guidance for the United States in preparing for and responding to potential future pandemics.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (SSCP) under the House Oversight Committee released a comprehensive 520-page final report titled “After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward.”
The report covers a wide range of issues related to COVID-19, including vaccine distribution, public health guidelines, state-level actions, and the usage of relief funds.
In a statement, the subcommittee mentioned that since February 2023, they have sent over 100 investigative letters, conducted more than 30 recorded interviews and depositions, held 25 hearings and meetings, and reviewed over a million pages of documents.
According to reports from The Hill, the report suggests that the virus “likely emerged from a laboratory or research-related incident”; many of the early mitigation measures towards the pandemic were criticized, with mask mandates and mask-wearing found to be ineffective in controlling the spread of COVID-19; the guidance on maintaining a six-foot social distance was criticized for its “lack of scientific support.” Additionally, the report concluded that the economic and overall health impacts on American citizens and children due to lockdown measures outweighed the benefits, while President Trump’s early implementation of international travel restrictions was seen as life-saving.
The report also specifically highlighted the actions of the non-governmental organization EcoHealth Alliance. This organization had distributed funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to global laboratories, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
This comprehensive report serves as a significant milestone in understanding and analyzing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, providing valuable lessons to guide future preparedness and responses to potential health crises.