US: 'No Direct Evidence' Lab Leak Behind COVID, But Not Ruled Out

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Facts

  • On Friday, the US Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) declassified a 10-page report stating that intelligence agencies have found no direct proof that the COVID pandemic stemmed from an incident at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIH).1
  • The report, however, didn't exclude the theory as spy agencies remain split on whether the virus passed to humans via an infected animal or a laboratory accident.2
  • The Dept. of Energy and the FBI believe — with low and moderate confidence, respectively — that the virus most likely came from the WIH, while five other agencies favor natural transmission. The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency reportedly remain undecided.3
  • Though this new assessment acknowledged that Wuhan scientists carried out research on coronaviruses — including genetic engineering — and identified alleged safety issues at the institute, the US intelligence community isn't aware of any manipulations or a biosafety incident that could have led to the pandemic.4
  • The report was declassified in response to the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 — signed by Pres. Joe Biden in March — requiring information on what the US intelligence community knows about the origins of the pandemic.5
  • After three years of investigations ordered both by the Trump and Biden admin., some senior US officials argue that it is unlikely that they will ever come to any satisfactory conclusion as Beijing reportedly hasn't cooperated with international inquiries.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Wall Street Journal, 3Daily Mail, 4Bloomberg, 5FOX News, and 5New York Times.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. While this report was released late and failed to be fully transparent with the American people and members of Congress, its findings actually indicate that the lab leak theory is a likely explanation for the origins of the COVID pandemic as the virus is likely to be a chimera between two other existing viruses with which WIV scientists were working. The investigation must continue to finally unearth the truth.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Associated Press. Despite backlash from some GOP lawmakers who claim the Biden admin. is concealing classified information, the US intelligence community remains divided over how the pandemic began as Beijing continuously obstructs independent reviews. Given the inconclusiveness of reports that would lend weight to the lab leak theory, conclusions shouldn't be drawn.

Predictions