President Biden said Wednesday that he has asked the intelligence community to redouble its efforts to determine whether the coronavirus originated from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory in China.
In a statement, Biden said he has asked for a report within 90 days and hopes the intelligence community “will collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion.”
His directives comes as a theory has gained credence that the source of the coronavirus that has left more than 3 million people dead emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Timeline: How the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible
In his statement, Biden said a report he received last month said the intelligence community has “coalesced around two likely scenarios” but has not reached a definitive conclusion about whether the virus emerged from human contact with an animal or from a lab accident.
Biden quoted from the report: “While two elements in the [intelligence community] leans toward the former scenario and one leans more toward the latter — each with low or moderate confidence — the majority of elements do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other.”
In his statement, Biden also pressed China to cooperate amid questions of whether the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan.
In a statement, Biden said he has asked for a report within 90 days and hopes the intelligence community “will collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion.”
His directives comes as a theory has gained credence that the source of the coronavirus that has left more than 3 million people dead emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Timeline: How the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible
In his statement, Biden said a report he received last month said the intelligence community has “coalesced around two likely scenarios” but has not reached a definitive conclusion about whether the virus emerged from human contact with an animal or from a lab accident.
Biden quoted from the report: “While two elements in the [intelligence community] leans toward the former scenario and one leans more toward the latter — each with low or moderate confidence — the majority of elements do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other.”
In his statement, Biden also pressed China to cooperate amid questions of whether the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan.
