Illegal Chinese biolab found in California contained viruses, COVID-infected mice

An illegal Chinese-run biolab was discovered in Reedley, California, in March of 2023. Photos from the lab have been obtained by media outlets in recent days, painting a disturbing scene.

Local and federal officials raided the lab, which was genetically engineering mice and experimenting with COVID-19, HIV, herpes and malaria. Fresno County authorities said among other things, the mice were being engineered to catch and carry COVID-19.

Photos from the lab show thousands of dead mice stuffed in storage bins and freezers filled to the brim with bottles of blood and plasma. The photos also show stacks of boxes containing dangerous pathogens, including one labeled “malaria.”

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Questions remained regarding the origins of the Chinese biolab, who was running it, and whether it posted a bioterrorism threat to California or the rest of the United States. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, called on Congress to act in a statement sent to DailyMail.com.

“China is not just in our backyard, they are in our house, illegally conducting risky research that poses a serious public health concern,” Sen. Ernst said. “The world has already witnessed the impact of Chinese state-run Wuhan lab’s experiments on coronaviruses in bats… we cannot allow what happened at Wuhan on our own shores. There must be accountability.”

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