Furthermore, Gemini contradicts your straw-man on "standard procedures":

The statement claims that cells are reduced to "starvation levels" during inoculation.

The Context: In cell culture, cells are typically grown in a "Growth Medium" rich in serum (often 10% Fetal Bovine Serum) to encourage rapid division. When introducing a virus, scientists switch to a "Maintenance Medium" with lower serum (often 1-2%).

The Correction: This reduction is not starvation.

If cells divide too rapidly, they overgrow the container and die of overcrowding before the virus can replicate.

Maintenance medium provides sufficient glucose, salts, and amino acids for the cells to survive and metabolize for days or weeks without rapid division.

Evidence: Cells kept in maintenance medium without any virus (the control group) remain healthy and attached to the dish for the duration of the experiment.