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The virus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019.
US intelligence agencies say they may never be able to identify the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which caused the covid-19 pandemic, but have concluded that it was not created as a biological weapon.
In an updated assessment of where the virus started, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said an animal-to-human transmission and a laboratory leak they were plausible hypotheses about how it spread.
But he did not find enough information to reach a definitive conclusion.
China has criticized the report.
Image source, Getty Images
China linked the first COVID-19 cases to the Wuhan market.
The findings were published in a declassified document, which is an update to a 90-day review that President Joe Biden’s administration released in August.
The report says that intelligence agencies remain divided over the most likely origin of the virus. Four agencies assessed “with little confidence” that it had originated with an infected animal or a related virus.
But one agency said it had “moderate confidence” that the first human infection was likely the result of a laboratory accident, likely related to animal testing or handling by the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The report also says Chinese officials were unaware of the virus before the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Wuhan in late 2019. But it says China continued to hamper the global investigation and resist sharing information.
The Chinese authorities linked the first cases of covid-19 with a seafood market in Wuhan, leading scientists to theorize that the virus was first transmitted to humans through animals.
But earlier this year, US media reports suggested mounting evidence that the virus could have emerged from the Wuhan lab, perhaps through an accidental leak.
In May, President Biden ordered intelligence officials to investigate the origins of the virus, including the lab leak theory that China rejects.
Image source, Reuters
China rejects any link between the pandemic and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In response to the intelligence report, the Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement to the Reuters news agency: “The US measures to rely on its intelligence apparatus rather than scientists to trace the origins of covid -19 is a complete political farce. “
“We have been supporting science-based efforts on origin tracing and will continue to be actively involved. That said, we strongly oppose attempts to politicize the issue.”
They have been confirmed around 240 million cases of covid-19 worldwide, with more than 4.9 million deaths.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.