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US intelligence: Origin of COVID-19 remains unclear, but China's leaders did not know about virus before outbreak began

Morrison71

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Nov 10, 2006
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WASHINGTON -- U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to conclusively determine how the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, a summary of a classified report released on Friday said.

Four agencies assessed, with low confidence, it reached humans via infected animals, the summary said, but one argued with moderate confidence that it was the result of a lab accident.

The summary, drawn from a much longer classified report presented to President Biden on Tuesday, is unequivocal on two major points.

"We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon," it stated. And, it said, U.S. spy agencies do not think that Chinese officials had foreknowledge of the virus, SARS-COV-2, before the outbreak emerged.

Most agencies assessed, though with low confidence, the virus was not genetically engineered, although two said there was not enough information to make a judgement, the report stated.


US intelligence: Origin of COVID-19 remains unclear, but China's leaders did not know about virus before outbreak began.
 
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