The CIA has revised its stance on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, now stating that the virus “more likely” emerged from a lab. This marks a shift from the agency’s previous position, which was uncertain about whether the virus was the result of a lab incident or a natural origin. However, the CIA has not disclosed the new intelligence supporting this conclusion.
During the final weeks of the Biden administration, former CIA Director William Burns instructed analysts to focus on making a definitive judgment on the pandemic’s origins, recognizing its historical importance. While the CIA expresses “low confidence” in its assessment, it acknowledges that both a lab and a natural origin remain plausible scenarios.
China has criticized the U.S. for politicizing the issue, rejecting claims of a lab leak, and calling them unsubstantiated.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a recent interview, emphasized that investigating the pandemic’s origins was one of his top priorities. He reiterated his belief that intelligence, science, and logic point to a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the most likely explanation for the virus’s emergence.
