SHANGHAI (AP) — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of Beijing's continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.
Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval.
When Zhang tried to go to the lab over the weekend, guards barred him from entering. In protest, he sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, pictures from the scene posted online show. News of the protest spread widely on Chinese social media and Zhang told a colleague he slept outside the lab — but it was not clear Tuesday if he remained there.
“I won’t leave, I won’t quit, I am pursuing science and the truth!” he wrote in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that was later deleted.
In an online statement, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Zhang’s lab was being renovated and was closed for “safety reasons.” It added that it had provided Zhang’s team an alternative laboratory space.
But Zhang wrote online that his team wasn’t offered an alternative until after they were notified of their eviction, and that the lab offered didn’t meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo.
Zhang’s latest difficulty reflects how China has sought to control information related to the virus: An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.
When reached by phone on Tuesday, Zhang said it was “inconvenient” for him to speak, saying there were other people listening in. In an email Monday to collaborator Edward Holmes seen by AP, Zhang confirmed he was sleeping outside his lab after guards barred him from entering.
An AP reporter was blocked by a guard at an entrance to the compound housing Zhang’s lab. A staff member at the National Health Commission, China’s top health authority, said by phone that it was not the main department in charge and referred questions to the Shanghai government. The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zhang’s ordeal started when he and his team decoded the virus on Jan. 5, 2020, and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread — but did not make the sequence public. The next day, Zhang’s lab was ordered temporarily shut by China’s top health official, and Zhang came under pressure by Chinese authorities.
Around the time, China had reported several dozen people were being treated for a respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan. Possible cases of the same illness had been reported in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan involving recent travelers to the city.
Foreign scientists soon learned that Zhang and other Chinese scientists had deciphered the virus and called on China to release the sequence. Zhang published it on Jan. 11, 2020, despite a lack of government permission.
Sequencing a virus is key to the development of test kits, disease control measures and vaccinations. The virus eventually spread to every corner of the world, triggering a pandemic that disrupted lives and commerce, prompted widespread lockdowns and killed millions of people.
Zhang was later awarded prizes in recognition for his work.
But Zhang’s publication of the sequence also prompted additional scrutiny of his lab, according to Holmes, Zhang’s collaborator and a virologist at the University of Sydney. Zhang was removed from a post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and barred from collaborating with some of his former partners, crippling his research.
“Ever since he defied the authorities by releasing the genome sequence of the virus that causes COVID-19 there has been a campaign against him,” Holmes said. “He’s been broken by this process and I’m amazed he has been able to work at all.”
Zhang Yongzhen, the first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus, looks at a presentation on his laptop in a coffeeshop in Shanghai, China on Dec. 13, 2020. Zhang was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Zhang wrote in an online post on Monday, April 29, 2024, that he and his team were suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since he first published the sequence in early January 2020.(AP Photo/Dake Kang)
Virologist Zhang Yongzhen, the first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus, walks down a street in Shanghai, China on Dec. 13, 2020. Zhang was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Zhang wrote in an online post on Monday, April 29, 2024, that he and his team were suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since he first published the sequence in early January 2020.(AP Photo/Dake Kang)
Virologist Zhang Yongzhen speaks at a coffeeshop in Shanghai, China on Dec. 13, 2020. Zhang, the first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Zhang wrote in an online post on Monday, April 29, 2024, that he and his team were suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since he first published the sequence in early January 2020. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Bo Bichette had three doubles among his four hits, José Berríos pitched six solid innings to snap a four-start winless streak, and the Toronto Blue Jays won consecutive games for the first time in more than three weeks by beating the struggling Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Monday.
Daulton Varsho and Danny Jansen each hit a two-run home run and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base three times and drove in a run as Toronto won back-to-back games for the first time since home wins over the Dodgers and Kansas City on April 28 and 29.
Bichette began the day in an 0-for-12 slump but broke out in style. He doubled and scored in the second inning, singled in the third, drove in Guerrero with an RBI double in the sixth, then added another double in the seventh.
Berríos (5-3) allowed three runs and eight hits to win for the first time since a road victory over San Diego on April 20. He struck out six and walked two.
Varsho gave the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead with a two-out homer off White Sox right-hander Erick Fedde in the second, his team-leading eighth.
Fedde (4-1) allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings for his first loss of the season. He walked one and struck out two.
PADRES 6, BRAVES 5, 1ST GAME
BRAVES 3, PADRES 0, 2ND GAME
ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Sale allowed only five hits in seven innings to continue his strong run and Atlanta snapped their season-worst, four-game losing streak by beating San Diego to split a doubleheader.
The Padres won the first three games of the series. Manny Machado’s two-run double in the eighth gave San Diego the lead and the Padres rallied from a five-run deficit to win the twinbill opener.
In the nightcap, Sale (7-1) recorded nine strikeouts without a walk while winning his sixth straight start. He has allowed no runs in three consecutive starts, a streak covering 20 innings. He has 28 strikeouts and one walk in the dominant stretch.
Pierce Johnson and Raisel Iglesias completed the seven-hitter. Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save.
GUARDIANS 3, METS 1
CLEVELAND (AP) — Ben Lively had another solid start, David Fry drove in two early runs and Cleveland won their fourth straight over the New York Mets to ruin Francisco Lindor’s homecoming.
Lindor, who spent six seasons with Cleveland, went 0 for 4 in his first game at Progressive Field since being traded to New York in 2021.
The four-time All-Star shortstop struck out, grounded out twice and flied out, dropping his average to .193.
Lively (3-2) allowed just one run — a homer — and six hits in 5 2/3 innings before first-year manager Stephen Vogt turned things over to his bullish bullpen.
Nick Sandlin took over a two-on, two-out situation in the sixth and gave up a walk before striking out Brett Baty with the bases loaded. Scott Barlow pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and rookie Cade Smith struck out two in the eighth.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase finished up the combined six-hitter in the ninth for his 14th save. The right-hander has given up just one earned run in 24 1/3 innings this season.
RED SOX 5, RAYS 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rafael Devers set a team record by homering in his sixth consecutive game, Tanner Houck allowed two hits over seven innings, and Boston beat Tampa Bay.
Devers had shared the Boston mark of a five-game homer streak with six others, including Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx.
Houck (4-5) allowed a third-inning single to Yandy Díaz and an infield hit to Josh Lowe in the seventh. He struck out five and was charged with one walk — which occurred when Devers was ruled to have violated defensive shift rules for an automatic ball on Jonathan Aranda’s groundout in the second on a 3-2 pitch.
Ceddanne Rafaela also homered for the Red Sox, who returned to .500 at 24-24.
Justin Slaten completed a three-hitter as Boston improved to 6-22 at Tampa Bay since the start of the 2021 season.
NATIONALS 12, TWINS 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Luis García Jr. homered and drove in three runs, Eddie Rosario also had three RBIs and Washington snapped a five-game slide with a victory over Minnesota.
Jesse Winker hit a solo shot and Jacob Young delivered a two-run single during a four-run fifth inning off Twins starter Pablo López (4-4) to help Washington pound out 14 hits and hand Minnesota its seventh straight defeat.
Mitchell Parker (3-2) allowed three runs in six innings in the series opener, his longest outing since the rookie threw seven in a 2-0 win over Houston on April 21.
Minnesota’s Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer in the sixth. But Parker escaped further trouble when he struck out Kyle Farmer to strand two and end his outing.
MARLINS 3, BREWERS 2, 10 INNINGS
MIAMI (AP) — Josh Bell singled with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to give Miami a victory over the Milwaukee.
Christian Bethancourt’s sacrifice bunt against reliever Mitch White (1-1) advanced automatic runner Vidal Brujan to third. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was intentionally walked and stole second. Bryan De La Cruz drew an intentional walk before Bell hit a grounder to right field that scored Brujan.
Tanner Scott (4-4) allowed a leadoff walk to Christian Yelich in the top of the 10th. Joey Ortiz’s sacrifice bunt advanced courtesy runner Brice Turang and Yelich before Scott struck out Willy Adames and retired Gary Sánchez on a flyout to medium center.
The NL Central-leading Brewers used seven relievers after starter Joe Ross left after the first inning because of a low back strain.
MARINERS 5, YANKEES 4
NEW YORK (AP) — Ty France hit a go-ahead RBI single in Seattle’s four-run ninth inning against reliever Clay Holmes, and Mariners rallied to beat the New York Yankees.
The Mariners ended New York’s seven-game winning streak with the big inning against Holmes (1-1), who blew his second save in 15 chances.
Luke Raley, who had two of Seattle’s three hits off starter Marcus Stroman, hit an infield single to Gleyber Torres and Julio Rodriguez scored on the second baseman’s error. Mitch Haniger followed with an RBI single and Dominic Canzone lifted a tying sacrifice fly. France followed by grounding a 2-0 sinker to right field for a 5-4 lead.
Eduardo Bazardo (1-0) allowed an RBI single to Jon Berti in the bottom of the eighth that pushed New York’s lead to 4-1 before the comeback gave Seattle its second win in 23 games when trailing through eight.
Andrés Muñoz got the last three outs, stranding Juan Soto at first for his ninth save.
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dives into home to score on a double by teammate Bo Bichette during sixth-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Monday, May 20, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
