美國《新聞周刊》援引進化生物學和傳染病方面的專家說法表示，這篇論文沒有提供新的信息，提出了許多未經證實的主張，而且它的科學論據很薄弱。報導稱，這篇論文一開始就帶有一種“陰謀論”的口吻，把關於病毒來源的爭論描繪成一場反對異見審查制度和欺詐行為的戰鬥。
消息人士爆料，閆麗夢的確在香港大學的世界頂尖病毒學實驗室工作過，但她在這個領域裡是新手，雇傭她的原因是她有實驗室動物方面的經驗，她在新冠病毒疫情爆發的調查中是一名助理，不是負責人。
《紐約時報》稱，這篇論文的幕後推手是美國極右翼政客班農和中國“紅通”逃犯郭文貴。他們將閆麗夢包裝成“冠狀病毒專家”，向閆麗夢提供鼓吹“中國肺炎”研究的資金保障，通過美國右翼媒體向民眾宣佈一個未經證實的說法：新冠病毒是中國製造的生物武器，大肆散佈新冠病毒陰謀論。對美國保守派來說，這樣的敘事讓他們能迎合西方日益高漲的反華情緒，分散人們對美國政府應對疫情失敗的關注。
【Special Report】US media start "Chinese pneumonia": a premeditated juggling game
According to the US "Beast Daily" report, Yan Limeng, a former researcher at the University of Hong Kong, published a paper on the origin of the new coronavirus, saying that the genes of the new coronavirus are "suspiciously similar" to those of the bat coronavirus found in the Chinese military laboratory. It is widely rumored that "the new coronavirus was synthesized in a Chinese laboratory". The article pointed out that this argument "runs against almost all the current scientific literature on the origin of the virus." The US "Newsweek" quoted experts in evolutionary biology and infectious diseases as saying that the paper did not provide new information, made many unproven claims, and its scientific arguments were weak. The paper began with a "conspiracy theory" tone, portraying the debate over the origin of the virus as a battle against dissident censorship and fraud, the report said.
Sources broke the news that Yan Limeng did work in the world's top virology laboratory at the University of Hong Kong, but she was a novice in the field. She was hired because she had experience in laboratory animals, and she was involved in the investigation of the new crown virus outbreak. She is an assistant, not the person in charge.
The New York Times said that the impetus behind the paper was Bannon, an American far-right politician, and Guo Wengui, a fugitive from China's "Red Notice". They packaged Yan Limeng as a "coronavirus expert", provided Yan Limeng with financial support for advocating "Chinese pneumonia" research, and announced an unproven statement to the public through the American right-wing media: the new crown virus is a biological weapon made in China, and the new crown virus is widely spread. Viral conspiracy theory. For American conservatives, such a narrative allows them to pander to rising anti-China sentiment in the West and distract from the U.S. government’s failure to respond to the pandemic.