COVID-19 likely originated in Chinese lab leak, US Energy Dept. says - report
Claims that a lab leak in China led to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have been circulating for years, but they remain a subject of considerable dispute.
Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of
Virology during the visit by the World Health Organization (WHO) team
tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19), in Wuhan, Hubei province, China February 3, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/THOMAS PETER/FILE PHOTO)
US intelligence agencies remain split on the origin of the COVID pandemic
The Energy Department's report underscores how split conclusions are in the US on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some,
like the CIA, remain undecided. Others, like the National Intelligence
Council, say that the virus was spread by an infected animal, which
caused it to jump over to humans through zoonotic transmission, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The COVID-19 vaccine (illustrative). (credit: PIXABAY)Previously,
many in the US pushed back against claims that the virus, first spotted
in Wuhan, China, originated in a leak at a local virology lab. However,
more intelligence reports claim it may have been possible.
In
particular, an assessment by the US State Department in 2018 as well as
internal Chinese reports state that biosafety measures at the lab were a
subject of some concern.
A US intelligence report circulated during former president Donald
Trump's administration alleged that three researchers at China's Wuhan
Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought
hospital care, US government sources said.
US officials have accused China of a lack of transparency on the virus' origin, a charge Beijing has denied.
China
continues to deny any claims that the virus originated in a lab leak,
and has also suggested it originated outside the country.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The Energy Department's report underscores how split conclusions are in the US on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some, like the CIA, remain undecided. Others, like the National Intelligence Council, say that the virus was spread by an infected animal, which caused it to jump over to humans through zoonotic transmission, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The COVID-19 vaccine (illustrative). (credit: PIXABAY)Previously, many in the US pushed back against claims that the virus, first spotted in Wuhan, China, originated in a leak at a local virology lab. However, more intelligence reports claim it may have been possible.
In particular, an assessment by the US State Department in 2018 as well as internal Chinese reports state that biosafety measures at the lab were a subject of some concern.
A US intelligence report circulated during former president Donald Trump's administration alleged that three researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, US government sources said.
US officials have accused China of a lack of transparency on the virus' origin, a charge Beijing has denied.
China continues to deny any claims that the virus originated in a lab leak, and has also suggested it originated outside the country.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Department of Energy concluded Covid came from China lab leak
Pud says: the Communist Chinese are liars and mass murderers, America needs to-rearm ASAP!
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