Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris (CA) has introduced a resolution seeking to condemn calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus” as being racist, which is a talking point that has been promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in an attempt to deflect responsibility over the fact that the pandemic originated in Wuhan, China.
Harris’ resolution seeks to condemn “all manifestations or expressions of racism, xenophobia” and “scapegoating” by condemning “anti-Asian terminology” that she claims includes “Chinese Virus” and “Wuhan Virus.”
It’s false to suggest that referring to the coronavirus by a name that denotes its place of origin is somehow racist.
The Federalist highlighted just a few examples of diseases that have been named after their place of origin:
West Nile Virus: Named after the West Nile District of Uganda discovered in 1937.
Guinea Worm: Named by European explorers for the Guinea coast of West Africa in the 1600s.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Named after the mountain range spreading across western North America first recognized first in 1896 in Idaho.
Lyme Disease: Named after a large outbreak of the disease occurred in Lyme and Old Lyme, Connecticut in the 1970s.
Ross River Fever: Named after a mosquito found to cause the disease in the Ross River of Queensland, Australia by the 1960s. The first major outbreak occurred in 1928.
Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever: Named after its 1940s discovery in Omsk, Russia.
Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: Named in 1976 for the Ebola River in Zaire located in central Africa.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS): Also known as “camel flu,” MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and all cases are linked to those who traveled to the Middle Eastern peninsula.
Japanese Encephalitis: Named after its first case in Japan in 1871.
German Measles: Named after the German doctors who first described it in the 18th century. The disease is also sometimes referred to as “Rubella.”
Lassa Fever: Named after the being found in Lassa, Nigeria in 1969.
Legionnaire’s Disease: Named in 1976 following an outbreak of people contracting the lung infection after attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.
Many in the mainstream media also called the virus the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus” during the first few months of the outbreak.
Liberal media pundits want you to think referring to the coronavirus as the "Wuhan" or "Chinese" virus is racist.
Here's just a few of the times the liberal media did just that. pic.twitter.com/ss3kV5smSP
— MRCTV (@mrctv) March 12, 2020
President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus” in March after the CCP falsely claimed that the virus was brought to Wuhan by the U.S. military.
“It’s not racist at all,” Trump said. “It comes from China.”
“It comes from China, I want to be accurate,” Trump continued. “As you know, China tried to say at one point, maybe they stopped now, that it was caused by American soldiers. That can’t happen, it’s not going to happen, not as long as I’m president. It comes from China.”
Trump even specifically stated that he was not talking about Asian-Americans with his remarks, tweeting: “It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!”
….is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.