The origins of the COVID-19 pandemic remain uncertain years after the virus first emerged.
While various theories have been debated, the question of whether the outbreak was caused by natural transmission or a laboratory incident continues to spark global controversy.
A newly declassified report from the CIA suggests that a lab-related origin is more likely than a natural one, though the agency acknowledges its conclusion carries low confidence.
The report was commissioned during Joe Biden’s administration but was released under the leadership of John Ratcliffe, who was recently appointed as CIA director by Donald Trump.
Insist All Data Has Been Shared
According to a CIA spokesperson, the agency believes with low certainty that the pandemic was more likely linked to research activities than to natural transmission.
The statement also noted that both scenarios remain plausible, as intelligence agencies have struggled to obtain definitive evidence, according to 20Minutos.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly urged China to provide additional data, but Beijing insists that all available information has already been shared.
Scientists and intelligence agencies continue to investigate the competing theories.
One theory suggests that the virus jumped to humans from animals sold in the Wuhan market, with early speculation pointing to bats or pangolins.
The alternative theory argues that the virus may have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
U.S. intelligence agencies have been divided on the issue. Some reports have leaned toward the lab leak theory, while others maintain that natural origins are still a strong possibility.
Ratcliffe, now leading the CIA, has long advocated for the belief that the virus originated from a laboratory incident.
Despite the new report, conclusive evidence remains elusive.
