1 of 2 Department of Energy, USA — Photo: Disclosure/ Energy Department USA Department of Energy, USA — Photo: Disclosure/ Energy Department USA
An intelligence report from the US Department of Energy states that the Covid19 virus probably emerged from a leak from a Chinese laboratory, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal this Sunday (26).
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The paper’s conclusion, which the department itself rates as “low confidence,” is relevant because the agency oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.
The FBI had already concluded in 2021 that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak in China, but four other agencies and a national intelligence panel still rule that it was the result of natural transmission.
The CIA and other agencies are still undecided.
2 of 2 The laboratory in Wuhan, China, the first epicenter of the pandemic — Photo: AFP via BBC The laboratory in Wuhan, China, the first epicenter of the pandemic — Photo: AFP via BBC
A senior US intelligence official told the Wall Street Journal that the update was based on new information, further study of the scientific literature and consultation with experts outside the government.
Despite the agencies’ differing analyses, the update confirmed an existing consensus among them that Covid19 was not the result of a Chinese bioweapons program.
According to a US intelligence report released in 2021, the SARSCoV2 virus responsible for the Covid19 pandemic first began circulating in Wuhan, China, in November 2019. Since then, the origin of the pandemic has been widely debated by scientists, intelligence experts and policymakers.
The emergence of the virus has sparked tensions between the US and China, with US officials claiming China withheld information about the outbreak. Debate over the origin of Covid19 in the United States has also been intense and often polarized.
Initially, the prevailing view was that the virus originated naturally and spread from animals to humans, as has happened with other pandemics. However, over time and the lack of identification of an animal host, attention has turned to the possibility of an accidental leak from a Wuhan lab conducting coronavirus studies.
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The controversy over the origin of Covid has intensified after images of bats at a laboratory in Wuhan
The controversy over the origin of Covid is heating up after images of bats in the lab