Who Is Danielle Anderson? Wuhan Lab's Only Foreign Scientist Breaks Silence

Who Is Danielle Anderson? Australian virologist Danielle Anderson discloses that half-truths have muddled with an otherwise accurate functioning of the notorious Wuhan Lab.

Anderson presented an insider’s perspective on the cause and origin of the world’s worst pandemic in a century in an interview with Bloomberg News.

Here is what we know about Danielle Anderson, the last and only foreign scientist who spoke up about the origin of the much speculated COVID-19 Pandemic.

1. Anderson (42) is an expert in bat-borne viruses and is the only foreign scientist to undertake research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s BSL-4 lab.
2. The virologist worked in the BSL-4 lab, which is the first lab that is equipped to handle, control, and manage the planet’s most dangerous pathogens.
3. Anderson was working on-field when the SARS-CoV-2 started to spread across the city. Regular visits placed her in close proximity to many of her colleagues that worked at the Wuhan Research Center in 2019.
4. Anderson’s most recent stint was completed in November 2019. She started collaborating with the researchers in Wuhan in 2019.
5. Anderson was in the position of the scientific director of biosafety lab at Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical school.
6. The scientist completed and published several research papers, out of which one focused on why lethal viruses like Ebola and Nipah cause no disease in the bats in which they constantly circulate. Her study complemented researches already underway at the Wuhan Institute and therefore, offered funding to elevate international research collaboration.
7. She is now working at Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute For Infection and Immunity. Anderson was prominent in the virology community and considers her discoveries while working on Ebola in Wuhan a significant step towards a life-long career goal.
8. The scientist’s favourite movie is Outbreak. Released in 1995, the movie revolved around disease experts who respond to a deadly new virus. Anderson reveals that the movie displayed the type of work she dreamt to do as a virology expert. Owing to these facts, Anderson was committed to working on Ebola in a high-containment laboratory.
9. Anderson graduated from Deakin University in Geelong, Australia. After her graduation, she worked as a lab technician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She also completed her PhD under John Mackenzie and Linfa Wang in Australia again. Soon after her PhD, she moved to Montreal to complete her Post-doctoral work. Furthermore, Anderson worked with Linfa Wang again in Singapore, who described her as “very committed and dedicated”, reports Bloomberg.
10. Anderson was one of the 12 experts assigned to an international task force to examine the virus's origins in November. She has avoided the spotlight, particularly since she was attacked by US extremists in early 2020 after she exposed false information related to the pandemic online.

Danielle Anderson made headlines with her statement that she believes the virus did not erupt from the Wuhan Research Center and instead hails from natural sources. While Anderson does not completely waive off the possibility, she rated its likelihood to be exceedingly slim.

Feature Image Credit: Bloomberg