Experts say the idea that the virus somehow escaped the lab before spreading to over 3 million people worldwide — or, worse, that it was man-made in that lab — is "ridiculous," "foolish" and "implausible."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his proposed inquiry into how the coronavirus developed and spread would not be targeted at China.

Yuan Zhiming, professor at WIV and the director of its National Biosafety Laboratory, said "malicious" claims about the lab had been "pulled out of thin air" and contradicted all available evidence.