U.S. intelligence officials released a report on Friday rejecting some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab. The report has angered some Republicans, who argue the Biden administration is withholding information, while intelligence officials argue China's obstruction has made it impossible to determine the origin. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner has noted that U.S. intelligence had "extraordinary detail" about the risk posed by the Wagner group, and that top congressional leaders had been briefed multiple times by the administration.
Posts tagged as “the Wuhan Institute of Virology”
The U.S. intelligence community has released a 10-page declassified report on the origins of Covid-19, finding no direct evidence of a "biosafety incident" at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and that natural exposure to an infected animal is the most likely scenario for the first human infection. The report also noted that the intelligence community has not seen evidence that the virus was released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology intentionally or accidentally, and that the Chinese government has not been fully transparent in its response to the pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently sparked controversy with their statement that genetic material from Wuhan, China, should have been shared three years ago. Chinese health officials have accused the WHO of attempting to smear China and of politicizing COVID-19. The WHO has not yet responded, but has previously stated its commitment to working with China to find the source of the virus. International cooperation is essential to ensure that all relevant information is shared in a timely manner to prepare for future pandemics.
President Joe Biden has signed a bipartisan bill that directs the federal government to declassify intelligence related to the origins of Covid-19. The bill calls for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information related to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and requires a report to Congress within 180 days. It is hoped that the declassified intelligence will help to resolve the debate over the source of the virus and provide more clarity on the public health response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on Chinese health authorities to release genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, after a new analysis of genetic material collected from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China revealed animal DNA in samples already known to be positive for the virus. The analysis uncovered a significant amount of animal DNA that appears to belong to raccoon dogs, which were known to be traded at the market, and WHO has urged other countries to share their data in order to help scientists better understand the virus and its origins.
The House of Representatives has voted unanimously to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, and the bill is now on its way to President Biden's desk. The bill requires Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify any information about links between the pandemic and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Michael Turner has said that the American public deserves answers. The intelligence community has not yet definitively agreed on the origins of the pandemic, and the declassification of information is expected to provide more clarity.