The United States Intelligence Community agrees with “wide scientific consensus” that the coronavirus “was not man made or genetically modified,” according to a statement released Thursday.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it will “continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence” to determine the origin of the coronavirus, specifically “whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” “The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to US policymakers and those responding to the COVID-19 virus, which originated in China.”
The statement comes amid reports that senior Trump administration officials have been pressuring intelligence agencies to track down evidence of an unfounded theory the coronavirus originated in a Wuhan laboratory. However, scientists who have studied the genetics of the virus have rejected that theory, asserting that it was most likely transferred from animals to humans.
More than 61,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and more than 1 million have been infected, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Senior administration officials, including President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have in recent weeks heaped blame on Beijing for concealing early data about the virus’ transmission in China, something they say hindered an effective global response.
Source: Agenceis
