The "lab leak theory" is not about determining the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has made finding the truth more difficult, an opinion piece published Tuesday by South China Morning Post said.

As soon as politics intrudes, the truth is out of the window, the article argued.

The fever-pitch criticism feeds into the current wave of anti-Asian harassment and assaults in the US and elsewhere. Scientists most qualified to speak and study the subject face bullying and prefer to stay quiet, leaving the most partisan groups and individuals to set the agenda and hijack global public discourse, it said.

As a Nature article points out, politicizing the pandemic has terrible consequences for the world. Ending the pandemic and preparing for future health emergencies require global cooperation between nations.