The CIA has released an assessment regarding the origins of the coronavirus, suggesting that it most likely emerged under laboratory conditions, according to Associated Press (AP).
"The agency believes that the totality of the data points to a more probable laboratory origin of the virus than a natural one. However, the agency's analysis exhibits a low degree of confidence in its own conclusions, indicating an incomplete, ambiguous, and contradictory evidential base," AP notes.
These findings are not based on new data but rather on a recent analysis of virus spread information, scientific studies, and data regarding laboratory operations in China. The CIA clarified that "scenarios of a natural origin for the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible." The intelligence community also acknowledged that deciphering the source of the coronavirus, given the lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities, may never be possible.
The CIA has pledged to evaluate any new information that could alter their perspective.
Chinese authorities have previously denied claims that the coronavirus could have spread from a laboratory in China. The Chinese embassy in Washington emphasized that the CIA report lacks credibility. "We firmly oppose the politicization and unfounded accusations regarding the virus's origin and once again urge everyone to respect science and avoid conspiracy theories," stated embassy representative Liu Pengyu.
In the U.S., the laboratory theory regarding the origins of the coronavirus was previously supported by former FBI Director Christopher Wray (who served from 2017 to January 19, 2025) and the Department of Energy. In 2023, Ratcliffe also expressed his inclination towards this theory.
Last December, U.S. Congress also indicated a laboratory origin for the coronavirus, asserting that "COVID-19 likely originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China."
In December 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in Wuhan. Due to the rapid spread of the virus worldwide, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.