Intelligence agencies have concluded that the case of three workers falling ill in Wuhan, China in 2019 does not provide evidence regarding the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic resulting from a lab leak. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently released a declassified report on the lab leak theory, which may not appease those seeking answers on the origins of the outbreak. The report acknowledges that scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology conducted coronavirus research with inadequate safety measures and genetically engineered coronaviruses. However, the intelligence agencies found no evidence linking the lab activities to the pandemic.
The intelligence community, consisting of numerous government organizations, has been divided on the origins of Covid-19. Two agencies lean towards a lab leak hypothesis, while five others support the idea of natural transmission from an animal market. The C.I.A. and another agency remain uncertain due to conflicting intelligence. The report states that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin are still plausible explanations for the first human infection.
The illnesses of the three workers, initially disclosed by the State Department during the Trump administration, have been the focus of attention for researchers, journalists, and intelligence agencies. Last year, intelligence agencies concluded that their cases did not provide clarity on the lab leak vs. natural transmission debate. Recently, the spotlight has returned to these workers, particularly a Chinese scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology who worked on U.S.-funded coronavirus projects and fell ill in November 2019. However, it is unclear if the researchers had Covid-19 or another illness with similar symptoms, as U.S. intelligence agencies have not made that determination.
The report reiterates that the workers’ illness cannot contribute to an understanding of the pandemic’s origins. The workers experienced mild symptoms, and the report questions Covid-19 as the cause based on negative blood samples provided by the Chinese investigators. Intelligence agencies neither confirm nor reject the findings of the Chinese investigators, but they maintain that the workers’ symptoms do not align entirely with Covid-19. The report states that the information does not support or refute either hypothesis due to the possibility of other diseases causing the symptoms.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations ordered investigations into the origins of Covid-19, resulting in extensive intelligence agency reports. However, after three years of study, senior U.S. officials believe it is unlikely that the agencies will reach a definitive conclusion, largely due to China’s lack of cooperation and disinterest from some officials in Beijing to further investigate the pandemic’s cause.
The release of this report is a result of bipartisan legislation requiring intelligence agencies to disclose their knowledge on the possibility of Covid-19 originating from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Its release on a Friday evening, a common tactic for burying news, has drawn criticism from conservatives who expected it earlier in the week. While the Biden administration maintains neutrality in investigations, Republicans have heavily criticized the White House and intelligence agencies for their handling of Covid-19 origins. John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence under the Trump administration, said the lab leak theory is the only one supported by science, intelligence, and common sense, accusing the Biden administration of politicizing the issue to the detriment of the intelligence community.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
