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CIA report links COVID-19 to Chinese lab, sparks new debate

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In a report released Saturday, the CIA has assessed that the most plausible origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is a lab in Wuhan, China.

The investigation into the virus’s origins was conducted at the request of the Biden administration, though the administration initially declined to make the CIA’s findings public, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

John Ratcliffe, who served as CIA director at the start of the Trump administration, later declassified and released the report.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Ratcliffe emphasized the importance of transparency, stating, “It was important for the American public to see an institution like the CIA get off the sidelines and be truthful about what our intelligence shows.”

Ratcliffe explained that the CIA had assessed a lab-related incident in Wuhan as the most likely cause of the global pandemic, which has caused immense devastation worldwide.

He added that investigations would continue to gather further evidence.

While the CIA maintains “low confidence” in this conclusion, the agency confirmed it is open to revising its judgment if credible new intelligence or open-source information emerges.

READ ALSO: Study demands halt to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines amid safety concerns

The CIA is not alone in its assertion. In February 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy also concluded that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a lab-related incident, followed shortly by a similar conclusion from the FBI.

Additionally, a U.S. Senate report published in April 2023 supported the lab leak theory.

Most recently, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final report in December 2024, stating that the pandemic “most likely” resulted from gain-of-function research conducted at a Wuhan lab.

The congressional subcommittee presented five key arguments supporting the lab leak theory:

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The virus possesses a unique biological characteristic not found in nature.

Evidence indicates all COVID-19 cases originated from a single introduction into humans, unlike past pandemics with multiple spillover events.

Wuhan is home to China’s leading SARS research lab, known for conducting gain-of-function research under inadequate biosafety standards.

Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) reportedly fell ill with COVID-like symptoms in the fall of 2019, months before the virus was identified at a wet market.

Scientific evidence supporting a natural origin remains absent, despite years of investigation.

The findings have prompted action within the U.S. government. According to the WSJ, the Trump administration is preparing an executive order to temporarily halt federal funding for risky gain-of-function research.

While details are still under development, sources suggest the order aims to prevent U.S.-funded scientists from conducting research that enhances the danger or transmissibility of pathogens.

READ ALSO: COVID vaccine-death link study republished in peer-reviewed Journal

Gain-of-function research, which involves modifying pathogens to study how they could become more harmful, has faced significant scrutiny since the onset of the pandemic.

It has since been revealed that U.S. government funds supported gain-of-function research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the time leading up to the outbreak.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has publicly endorsed a pause on gain-of-function research, further signaling a shift in federal policy.

As the debate over COVID-19’s origins continues, the CIA and other investigative bodies reaffirm their commitment to evaluating all credible evidence, leaving the door open for new findings to emerge.

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