T he Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely to have originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, though it maintains l

CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible.”

Backs Lab Leak Theory for COVID-19, but Confidence Remains Low By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, (HealthDay News) -- After years of speculation, the CIA has weighed in yet again: A lab leak is now considered the likely origin of the COVID pandemic.

Since COVID-19 first took off, political leaders, infectious disease specialists, and the lay public have debated its origins. Eventually, two hypotheses emerged: Either the virus crossed over from animals to humans in a wet market in Wuhan—the city in which the disease first appeared—or it leaked from a Chinese lab,

The nuanced finding suggests the agency believes the totality of evidence makes a lab origin more likely than a natural origin.