The origin of Covid-19 may never be determined
Yesterday (October 29), US intelligence agencies said that the origin of Covid-19 may never be determined, and the assessment report also did not determine whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus was transmitted from animals to humans or leaked from a laboratory.
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| Illustration photo: Reuters |
According to a report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), both natural origins and a laboratory leak are plausible hypotheses for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus first infected humans. However, analysts have not yet reached a final conclusion on the source of the virus's spread.
The report also dismissed the idea that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated as a bioweapon, as proponents of this theory did not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and were accused of spreading disinformation.
The report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is a 90-day update of the Biden administration's assessment released in late August amid intense political debate over the blame for the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on China. The previous report said US intelligence agencies would not be able to provide a "clearer explanation" without new information from China.
The US has accused China of holding crucial information about the origins of the pandemic but preventing international investigators and members of the public health community from accessing it. Meanwhile, China has firmly rejected the theory that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, and counter-accused this as a "plot to politicize the epidemic"./.
