DNA Verified: China's Wuhan lab and major pharmaceutical companies caused COVID-19? Know truth here

As cases of the JN.1 sub-variant of COVID-19 are on the rise, a viral message propagating a false conspiracy theory suggests a nexus between China's Wuhan lab and major global pharmaceutical companies that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The message puts forward a claim that the Coronavirus was created in China with the help of vaccine makers to make profits. 

We ran a fact check and got to know that the message has been circulated since 2021 and has resurfaced amid the new subvariant.

The fake message reads: "Can you believe this??? 

The masks begin to fall off!  “The Chinese biological laboratory in Wuhan is owned by GlaxoSmithKline, which (accidentally) owns Pfizer!” (the one who makes the vaccine against the virus which (accidentally) started at the Wuhan Biological Lab and which was (accidentally) funded by Dr. Fauci, who (accidentally) promotes the vaccine! "GlaxoSmithKline is (accidentally) managed by the finance division of Black Rock, which (accidentally) manages the finances of the Open Foundation Company (Soros Foundation), which (accidentally) manages the French AXA!”  Soros (accidentally) owns the German company Winterthur, which (accidentally) built a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan and was bought by the German Allianz, which (coincidentally) has Vanguard as a shareholder, who (coincidentally) is a shareholder of Black Rock, which (coincidentally) controls central banks and manages about a third of global investment capital.  “Black Rock" is also (coincidentally) a major shareholder of MICROSOFT, owned by Bill Gates, who (coincidentally) is a shareholder of Pfizer (which - remember? sells a miracle vaccine) and (coincidentally) is now the first sponsor of the WHO!  Now you understand how a dead bat sold in a wet market in China has infected the WHOLE PLANET!""  
Folks, for the Deep State this is not about protecting the people, preventing the spread or a cure for the virus, this is about greed, corruption, power and control for them...
Now you know pass it on until the whole world knows the truth."

Debunking the claims:

Claim 1 – Ownership of the Wuhan Institute of Virology

The Wuhan Institute of Virology, established in 1958, is a predominantly state-funded laboratory under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), a government entity in China. A letter published in Nature magazine in 2019 mentions that CAS relies on central-government investment for about half of its income, debunking the claim that a private foreign company such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) owns or controls the Wuhan Lab.

Claim 2 – GlaxoSmithKline's Ownership of Pfizer

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a British pharmaceutical company, while Pfizer is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. Institutional shareholders, holding 69% of Pfizer, primarily own the company. The Vanguard Group tops the list with a 7.67% ownership stake. Notably, GlaxoSmithKline is absent from CNN Money's list of top 10 owners of Pfizer, discrediting the assertion that GSK owns Pfizer.

Claim 3 – Origin of Coronavirus

A statement from 27 prominent public health scientists, published in The Lancet earlier, explicitly rejects conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the coronavirus. The scientists vehemently condemn such theories, emphasizing that COVID-19 has a natural origin. They argue that spreading conspiracy theories only fuels fear, rumors, and prejudice, undermining global collaboration in the fight against the virus. Even US intelligence agencies and scientists have found no evidence supporting these rumours.

Claim 4 – Funding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a branch of the US health department. In 2014, the NIH approved a $3.4 million grant to the US company EcoHealth Alliance for studying the potential emergence of coronaviruses from bats. The Wuhan Institute of Virology collaborated on this project, with EcoHealth distributing $600,000 of the grant to the Wuhan lab. It is important to clarify that suggesting Dr. Fauci funded the Wuhan lab is misleading.

Claim 5 – GlaxoSmithKline and Soros Foundation Managed by BlackRock Finances

BlackRock, an investment management corporation, owns 7.5% of GSK shares. However, GSK has numerous institutional owners, making it inaccurate to claim GSK is managed by BlackRock. There is no evidence linking BlackRock's management to GSK or the Soros Foundation.

Claim 6 – Soros Foundation Serves French AXA

There is no evidence connecting the Soros Foundation to AXA, the French insurance company. While Soros Fund Management owns shares in AXA Equitable Holdings, a US-based company partially owned by AXA, there is no direct service relationship between the Soros Foundation and AXA.

Claim 7 – Soros Owns the German Company Winterthur:

Winterthur is a Swiss insurance company, and it is not owned by George Soros. Contrary to the claim, the ownership lies with French AXA, which acquired Winterthur in 2006. Therefore, the assertion that Soros owns Winterthur is false.

Claim 8 – Winterthur Built the Chinese Laboratory in Wuhan:

Winterthur is primarily a general insurance company and is not involved in the construction business. Additionally, the Wuhan laboratory was established and operated by the Government of China. Therefore, the claim that Winterthur built the Chinese laboratory in Wuhan is false.

In summary, the claims in the viral message lack factual support, and each has been debunked based on available evidence.