CIA shifts assessment on Covid origins, saying lab leak likely caused outbreak.

 The agency stated it has "low confidence" in its assessment and will continue reviewing new intelligence reports.

A Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine booster shot is administered in Freeport, New York, on Nov. 30, 2021.

Jan. 26, 2025, 2:02 AM GMT+6

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced on Saturday that it has updated its assessment of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency now believes it is more likely that the virus originated from a laboratory leak in China, rather than through natural human exposure to an infected animal. However, the CIA emphasized that it has “low confidence” in this judgment and continues to view both scenarios as plausible.

“CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting,” a CIA spokesperson stated. They added that the agency will continue to evaluate new intelligence or relevant information as it becomes available.

For years, the CIA maintained uncertainty about whether the pandemic resulted from human exposure to an infected animal or a laboratory incident. Other U.S. intelligence agencies and government departments have been divided on the issue, with the FBI and the Department of Energy leaning toward the lab leak hypothesis, while others favor the natural origin theory. The CIA had previously taken a neutral stance.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the new assessment is not based on fresh intelligence but rather on analysts reviewing existing data. The review was initiated in the final weeks of the Biden administration and completed before Donald Trump assumed the presidency. Outgoing CIA Director William Burns reportedly encouraged analysts to adopt a position on the origins of the virus, without indicating a preference for any particular theory.

The New York Times first reported the details of the review. Newly appointed CIA Director John Ratcliffe, confirmed this week after being nominated by President Trump, approved the declassification of the agency’s updated assessment. Ratcliffe has previously argued that a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is the most likely origin of the virus. In an interview with Breitbart News, Ratcliffe criticized the agency’s prior neutrality and vowed to prioritize this issue.

“One of my priorities is addressing the threat from China, particularly concerning the origins of COVID-19, which led to the deaths of over a million Americans,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s unacceptable for the CIA to have stayed on the sidelines for so long without making an assessment.”

Ratcliffe also emphasized the importance of providing intelligence to President Trump as he engages with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “If China caused or contributed to the pandemic, the president needs the best intelligence to address it effectively,” he said.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has come under scrutiny for its research on bat coronaviruses and alleged safety lapses. COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019. China, meanwhile, has denied the lab leak allegations, accusing the U.S. of attempting to “smear” Beijing and insisting it has been transparent about the outbreak.