COVID-19 originated either from lab breach or infected animal: U.S. intel chief Avril Haines – Washington Times
American scientists as recently as several months ago dismissed the theory that the virus escaped from a Chinese laboratory as a conspiracy theory. Ms. Haines comments on the laboratory escape theory are the first official public comments by a senior intelligence official on the likelihood the virus began in a Chinese laboratory.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology and other laboratories in China have been the focus of American intelligence agencies seeking clues to the origin of the deadly disease outbreak that has claimed over 2 million lives worldwide. In January, the State Department released a fact sheet on the institute that said there was substantial circumstantial evidence the virus began there.
The evidence included workers at the lab who were sickened with COVID-like symptoms in the fall of 2019; work on a bat coronavirus that is 96% similar to the virus that causes COVID, known as SARS-CoV-2; and secret work at the laboratory by the People s Liberation Army, which has conducted animal experiments there.
The testimony contradicts the assertions of the Chinese government that the virus could not have come from one of its laboratories.
Liang Wannian, leader of the Chinese team that conducted the joint WHO-China study said the experts agreed unanimously that it is extremely unlikely that the virus leaked from the lab. Mr. Liang said that, as a result, future virus origin-tracing missions would no longer focus on the lab escape theory unless new evidence is presented.
Ms. Haines did not provide details for the two theories, but emphasized that the intelligence community does not know exactly where, when or how the virus emerged and spread. Intelligence agencies are continuing to collect information on the virus origin, she said.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the Republican vice chairman of the committee, said a laboratory accident is plausible because to date no such path of zoonotic transmission has been definitely identified.
H/t MG.