Put under pressure

Corona researcher no longer allowed in his laboratory

Research into the coronavirus in China (archive image)

(Bild: APA/AFP/NICOLAS ASFOURI)

A Chinese researcher who published unauthorized information on the coronavirus in 2020 is no longer allowed to enter his laboratory. Officially, this is for safety reasons. Researcher Zhang Yongzhen, however, assumes that he was put under pressure.

He and his team were unexpectedly informed that they had to leave the laboratory in Shanghai, the scientist wrote. In January 2020, he had determined basic virological data on the coronavirus, which enabled health authorities around the world to begin an investigation. This was the basis for tests and vaccinations, for example. However, Zhang had not received permission from the authorities to publish the data.

Sit-in in the pouring rain
Since then, he has been under pressure in China. He was recently banned from entering his laboratory in Shanghai. He then protested against the authorities' decision with a sit-in in the pouring rain. "I will not leave, I will not give up, I am pursuing science and the truth," he wrote in a post that was later deleted. After security guards denied him access, Zhang is now sleeping outside his laboratory.

The hospital where the virologist works presented the situation differently. His laboratory was being renovated and had been closed for safety reasons, it said. However, the team had been given another laboratory so that they could continue working.

Recalled from his post
Zhang received numerous awards for his work, but was also dismissed from a position at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, collaboration with former partners was stopped, which hindered his work.