CIA now says Covid-19 ‘more likely’ to have come from a lab
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic is "more likely" to have emerged from a laboratory rather than from natural sources. This conclusion marks a significant stance shift, as the agency had previously been unable to determine a definitive origin for the virus. The decision to reach this assessment was prompted by former CIA director William Burns, who emphasized the pandemic's historical importance and urged analysts and scientists to make a clear determination.
This assessment comes with "low confidence" and highlights that both lab and natural origins remain plausible explanations for the pandemic's onset. The CIA's statement does not clarify whether new intelligence was collected to support this conclusion, leaving some questions unanswered. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Washington has yet to comment on this development. The agency's updated stance underscores ongoing uncertainties and the complexities involved in tracing the origins of Covid-19, which continue to have significant global implications.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic is "more likely" to have emerged from a laboratory rather than from natural sources. This conclusion marks a significant stance shift, as the agency had previously been unable to determine a definitive origin for the virus. The decision to reach this assessment was prompted by former CIA director William Burns, who emphasized the pandemic's historical importance and urged analysts and scientists to make a clear determination.
This assessment comes with "low confidence" and highlights that both lab and natural origins remain plausible explanations for the pandemic's onset. The CIA's statement does not clarify whether new intelligence was collected to support this conclusion, leaving some questions unanswered. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Washington has yet to comment on this development. The agency's updated stance underscores ongoing uncertainties and the complexities involved in tracing the origins of Covid-19, which continue to have significant global implications.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
