According to a classified intelligence report, the virus that caused the pandemic likely originated in a Chinese laboratory but was not part of a weapons program.
According to the US Energy Department, the COVID-19 virus most likely escaped from a Wuhan laboratory.
In a Wall Street Journal story, the US agency denied developing the virus for weapons.
The updated report, which was recently presented to the White House. And members of Congress, represents a shift in the department’s position on how the virus emerged. Previously, it had stated that it was “undecided” about the appearance of COVID.
The FBI concurs with the Energy Department that a lab leak is the most likely source of the virus; however, the Energy Department emphasized that it was making this determination with “low confidence,” whereas the FBI reached its conclusion in 2021 with “moderate confidence.”
It was presumably the result of natural transmission, according to four additional US agencies. Two more candidates are still officially undecided.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the report was “conducted in light of new intelligence, further study of academic literature. And consultation with experts outside government.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted a “diversity of perspectives” on the topic.
He told CNN on Sunday that President Joseph Biden had repeatedly asked the intelligence community to learn as much as possible about the origin of the pandemic.
Mr. Sullivan stated, “President Biden explicitly requested that the national labs, which are part of the Energy Department, be brought into this assessment because he wants to use every tool available to determine what happened here.”
There are conflicting hypotheses about whether the virus emerged naturally or was created by the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021. It is “extremely improbable” that the virus originated from the Wuhan laboratory, but it cannot be ruled out entirely.
The virus originated in a bat, crossed to an intermediate animal. And then jumped to people was the most likely answer.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, maintains that all possible hypotheses regarding the origin of the virus remain on the table and has urged Beijing to permit a further investigation.
China has previously accused the United States of politicizing the investigation and “scapegoating” the nation for the pandemic.
