The agency has been unable to decide for years whether COVID-19 resulted from a laboratory incident or originated naturally.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) now says that it is “more likely” that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a laboratory rather than nature.
For years, the agency had stated that it had not reached a decision on whether COVID-19 resulted from a laboratory incident or emerged from nature. However, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed on Saturday that they now believe this to be the case.
Citing a senior U.S. official, Reuters reported that in the final weeks of former President Joe Biden’s administration, CIA Director William Burns emphasized the historical significance of the pandemic and urged the agency’s analysts and scientists to reach a clear resolution on the matter.
The CIA has stated that they have “low confidence” in their assessment that the “most likely” origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is related to a laboratory. In their statement, they noted that both scenarios — whether the virus originated from a laboratory or from nature — remain plausible.
Reuters reached out to the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment on this matter, but they did not respond immediately.
It is unclear whether the agency has gathered new intelligence on the origin of COVID-19 or if they used new evidence to produce their most recent assessment.
The Chinese government has stated that it supports and participates in research to determine the origin of COVID-19. They have accused Washington of politicizing the issue, particularly due to the investigative efforts of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Beijing claims that while laboratory leaks have been suggested as a possible cause of the pandemic, there is no factual basis for these allegations.
However, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has stated, “I believe our intelligence, our science, and our common sense all point to the origin of COVID being a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”