WASHINGTON (Diya TV) —The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded a two-year investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic with the release of a 520-page report, titled “After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward.” The report was released Monday, and its findings highlight the critical elements that should have been included in the pandemic preparedness response and offer recommendations for the future.
Since its establishment in February 2023, the Select Subcommittee has conducted over 100 investigations, held 25 hearings, and reviewed more than one million documents. The report outlines shortcomings in the U.S. public health system and the federal response, as well as potential origins of the virus, with a particular focus on the controversial “lab leak” theory.
“This work will help the United States, and the world, predict, prepare for, and hopefully prevent the next pandemic,” said Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup in a letter accompanying the report. He noted that rebuilding public trust “will be achieved through accountability, transparency, honesty, and integrity.”
The report concludes that COVID-19 most probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, pointing at gain-of-function research done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The report argues that characteristics of the virus are not commonly found in nature and points out evidence that workers at the Wuhan lab were sick with a COVID-like virus in 2019, before the reported outbreak.
Contrarily, public health officials, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, promoted the idea that the virus had a natural origin. The report claims this was an intentional effort to mislead the public, citing the “Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication, which was allegedly used to suppress the lab-leak theory.
The report also highlights failures in government oversight, particularly in managing taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief programs. Fraudulent unemployment claims and misuse of the Paycheck Protection Program resulted in billions of dollars in losses, with international fraudsters exploiting weak oversight mechanisms.
The report states that at least $64 billion in taxpayer money was lost through fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program claims. In addition, the Small Business Administration lost another $200 million due to its lack of oversight.
The report criticizes the development and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, stating the Biden Administration rushed the approval process to meet political deadlines. It also condemns vaccine mandates, arguing that they harmed public trust and did not significantly impact the spread of the virus. It calls for a more transparent approach to vaccine injury reporting and compensation.
Looking ahead, the report challenges lawmakers and the private sector to improve pandemic preparedness. Some recommendations include tightening oversight on gain-of-function research and bolstering public health infrastructure to prevent future outbreaks.
The full 520-page report is available to the public and can be read in full here:
