was fairly new to the field of virology and had not studied coronaviruses before the COVID-19 pandemic. Between July and August, Yan was interviewed by Fox News, Newsmax TV, and the Daily Mail. Yan claimed in interviews that she became aware of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 in late December 2019, and that she attempted to communicate the risks to her superiors in late December 2019 or early January 2020. She stated that the Chinese government and the World Health Organization (WHO) knew about the person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 earlier than they reported or made public, and she stated that the Chinese government suppressed both her research and that of others. An official statement issued by HKU on July 11, 2020 confirmed that Yan was formerly a post-doctoral researcher at the institution, but disputed the accuracy of other elements of her account, adding that "Dr. Yan never conducted any research on human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus at HKU", and that many of her claims had no scientific basis. Notes See also Ai Fen References Chinese ophthalmologists Chinese virologists Chinese women scientists Chinese conspiracy theorists COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Central South University alumni 1980s births Living people Year of birth uncertain People from Qingdao