>there is little incentive beyond the government, and they don’t typically work nights and weekends

The government certainly doesn’t pull long hours.

Beyond the military. They do pull some late nights and cold field deployments in the DoD.

And beyond local police and fire. And state troopers. Law enforcement does go late and I’m pretty sure fire departments deploy all night. But of course those are not federal.

There is, obviously, the FBI. Those agents are mostly not up at night though. Now, CBP and TSA staff air and sea ports pretty late but that’s different.

The diplomatic corps also works pretty late hours if I remember my leaked cables correctly. But again, an exception. And they get to go to fancy parties.

Obviously people in Congressional staff offices, political advisers in the executive branch, and so forth. But those folk are essentially politicians.

FEMA. Pretty sure some of them stay up.

Other than our armed forces and supporting staff (good morning NSA NSOC), police and fire departments, federal law enforcement, State Department diplomatic staff, staff for elected officials, and FEMA, no one I can think of right now in government stays up late.

Intelligence community, forgot them, other than NSA and FBI. At least some of the 14 other members probably work late, I think? NGA, at least.

But no you’re right, why would we want government scientists like those at NASA, CDC and the EPA working as leading exemplars of COVID research. Surely they are lazy. And they show good work does not happen without a profit motive.

Not to mention that if they find a cure before the world they will mark it as "strategical advantage" and not shared because it's of "national interest." At least based on their past history.

Are we talking about China or US?

I understand any extra data gives you an advantage, but I think I'm missing a step where they can steal a solution while simultaneously keeping that solution for themselves (assuming stealing means copying/sneaking out information others have already gathered).

Maybe a slight headstart if they throw extra research money on it.

It's not okay to keep solutions for only their citizens, but it would still be in your best interest to share what you know with their citizens so that you have a lower priority of getting infected by their citizens who may travel to your place.

Humans are humans. The virus doesn't care for the politics, it will spread without regard to human-invented political borders, so the preventative measures shouldn't stop at political borders, either. That would be contradictory to the apolitical nature of the virus.

(In any case, if you shared something with them and it is actually useful, there's a good chance you're pretty close to the solution yourself, anyway.)