The CIA investigated the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, and determined, with low confidence, the origin was likely a lab leak in China.

The news comes after the CIA announced over the weekend that COVID-19 most likely originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2020.

Newly-confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News the decision to release a Biden-era analysis favoring the COVID-19 lab leak theory is a step toward transparency.

The US spy agency points the finger at China while acknowledging it has "low confidence" in its own conclusion, which is based on fresh analysis of intelligence about the spread of the virus.

China on Monday dismissed the lab leak theory on COVID-19 origins proposed by the CIA, calling it baseless and emphasizing the need for scientific investigation, state media reported.

The report was declassified and released on Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, John Ratcliffe.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization, days after ordering a U.S. exit from the global health agency over what he described as a mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion.

Founded in 2023, PHTI is an offshoot of the nonprofit Peterson Center on Healthcare, which aims to lower health care costs. It was founded by Peter G. Peterson, the late billionaire and former secretary of commerce for President Richard Nixon. PHTI helps health systems evaluate their technology to reduce health care spending.

Not a speck of evidence has emerged showing that the COVID virus leaked from a Chinese lab. So why does a just-released CIA statement claim that it did? Blame politics.

On Saturday, new CIA Director john Ratcliffe made public the CIA’s reassessment that shifts from an inconclusive position to now believing the lab-leak was most likely despite a low level of confidence.