Recent intelligence has led the US Energy Department to conclude with “low confidence” that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, according to sources. The Energy Department, which oversees US national laboratories, revised its assessment after the new intelligence surfaced, but officials have not revealed the details of the information. The assessment has been added to an update of a 2021 classified report to the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines.
Four agencies, which have not been named, along with the National Intelligence Council, still believe with “low confidence” that the pandemic originated from natural emergence, while the FBI has a “moderate confidence” that it began with a lab leak. The CIA and two other agencies have yet to reach a determination. The updated classified report has also confirmed that COVID-19 was not a result of a biological weapons program.
Experts have suspected a lab leak from Wuhan’s laboratory network as the animal source for the virus has not been definitively identified. With over 6.8 million COVID-related deaths worldwide, many individuals, including former President Donald Trump, have accused China of being responsible for the pandemic. However, Beijing has denied any involvement and has not cooperated with the investigation, causing the World Health Organization’s inquiry into COVID-19’s origins to encounter obstacles.
In 2021, President Joe Biden ordered a 90-day US intelligence review into the origin of the virus, with officials in his administration finding the lab leak theory to be as credible as the natural emergence theory. After the review, Biden criticized China for its lack of transparency and pledged to conduct further investigations.
In response to the recent findings, an Energy Department spokesperson stated that the department supports the intelligence community’s ongoing and thorough investigation into the origins of COVID-19, as directed by the president.
It is concerning to hear that the US Energy Department has concluded with “low confidence” that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China. The fact that officials have not disclosed the details of the intelligence that led to this conclusion raises further questions about what we know about the virus’s origins.
It is worrying that some agencies still have not made a determination on the cause of the pandemic, despite the US government’s best efforts to investigate the matter. The lack of cooperation from China has hindered the investigation, and it is time for Beijing to provide more transparency and allow for a more thorough investigation.
The updated classified report’s confirmation that COVID-19 was not a result of a biological weapons program is reassuring, but the fact that the animal source has not been identified reinforces the need to investigate the possibility of a lab leak.
The Biden administration’s pledge to conduct further investigations into the virus’s origins is necessary, and we must hold China accountable for its lack of transparency throughout this process. With millions of lives lost and the global economy impacted by this pandemic, it is crucial that we find out how it started to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.
While it is alarming to hear that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory leak, we must continue to investigate the matter thoroughly and hold China accountable for its lack of cooperation. We must ensure that we know the full extent of what happened and learn from it to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
Sources: TheDailyWire, The Wall Street Journal
