Classified US intelligence study inconclusive on COVID origins: Report

A classified US intelligence report that was submitted to the White House recently couldn’t conclusively trace the origins of the COVID-19 virus due to lack of information provided by China, a report by the US media has stated.

The assessment report, which was ordered by President Joe Biden three months ago, couldn’t prove whether the virus that first emerged in central China had jumped to humans via animals or escaped a highly secure research facility in Wuhan, a report from the Washington report said citing two unnamed US officials who are familiar with the matter.

They said the report would be declassified in coming days.

When Biden ordered the investigation, he said the US intelligence agencies were split over the “two likely scenarios”—animals or lab.

Former president Donald Trump and his aides had earlier pointed fingers at Beijing, claiming that the virus came out of a Wuhan virology lab amid intense criticism over their administration’s handling of the outbreak.

“Despite Biden’s directive that the intelligence community redouble their efforts to untangle the origin debate, the 90-day review brought them no closer to consensus,” the officials told the Post

Responding to reports, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday criticised Washington for “politicising” the issue of COVID origin-tracing.

Also read | Chinese virologist claims COVID-19 was made in Wuhan lab; offers scientific proof

“The United States says it lacks information from China,” Wang told a press briefing, according to China News service, a state-owned newswire.

“I can tell the United States that this is just an excuse to cover up the failure of its intelligence in origin tracing.”

Wang said the report was political and therefore it would not draw any scientific conclusion, “and would only disturb and damage the international effort in finding the origin of the virus and the global cooperation against COVID-19.”

Beijing has repeatedly rejected calls from the United States and other countries for a renewed origin probe after a heavily politicized visit by a World Health Organization (WHO) team in January also proved inconclusive and faced criticism for lacking transparency and access.

Even WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus admitted that the global health body’s probe into Wuhan’s virology labs did not go far enough.

(With inputs from agencies)