A recent classified intelligence report provided by the U.S. Energy Department to the White House and key members of Congress indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory leak, the Wall Street Journal reports.
This report is an update to a 2021 document and notes a change in the Energy Department's stance. The agency was previously undecided on how the virus emerged.
COVID-19 Origin Traced to China Lab Leak
The WSJ report notes that different segments of the intelligence community have reached divergent conclusions regarding the origin of the pandemic, as highlighted by the updated info.
The Energy Department now concurs with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the virus likely spread through a laboratory accident in China. Four other agencies and a national intelligence panel believe it was probably the result of natural transmission, while two remain undecided.
In 2021, the FBI concluded with "moderate confidence" that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak and still maintains this position. According to those who have read the classified report, the Energy Department made its decision with "low confidence."
The conclusion of the Energy Department is based on new intelligence. It is significant due to the agency's extensive scientific expertise and oversight of a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.
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Officials from the United States declined to elaborate on the new intelligence and analysis that prompted the Energy Department to change its position. The Energy Department and the FBI concur that an unintended lab leak is the most likely scenario, but for different reasons.
Three Years Later, COVID Origin Still Doubtful
The update highlights that intelligence officials are still piecing together how COVID-19 emerged. The pandemic that began over three years ago has claimed the lives of over 6 million people worldwide.
According to the updated report that WSJ cites, the National Intelligence Council conducts long-term strategic analysis. Four agencies, which officials declined to identify, continue to have "low confidence" that the virus originated through natural transmission from an infected animal.
Officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and another agency are still undecided between the lab leak and natural transmission theories.
Despite divergent analyses, the update reaffirmed the intelligence community's consensus that Covid-19 was not the result of a Chinese biological weapons program.
The Chinese government, which restricts World Health Organization investigations, has denied that the virus could have escaped from one of its labs and suggested that it originated outside China.
President Biden has ordered the entire intelligence community to devote resources to determining as much as possible about the pandemic's origins. However, there is "diversity of opinion within the intelligence community," and some officials have stated that they lack sufficient information.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) stated on NBC on Sunday that Congress must hold extensive hearings on the pandemic's origins and that China has attempted to intimidate other nations into not questioning whether the virus emerged naturally.
Elon Musk Reacts
Elon Musk has reacted with disbelief to the news that the U.S. Energy Department has concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak.
In a tweet posted on Feb. 27, Musk expressed his shock at the news, writing: "What!? No way."
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