The US Department of Energy has said that Covid-19 most likely did not originate from a laboratory leak with “low confidence”.
The conclusion was shared in a classified report with officials in the White House and some in Congress after officials considered new intelligence and consulted non-government experts.
Agencies have found that both theories about a natural occurrence and a lab leak remain possibilities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes a lab leak occurred with “moderate confidence” while the Central Intelligence Agency is undecided between natural transmission and a lab leak.
The National Intelligence Council believes that the virus was transmitted naturally from an infected animal with “low confidence”.
President Biden has requested that the National Labs, which are part of the Department of Energy, be included in the assessment to help determine what happened.
There are a variety of views in the intelligence community, but several agencies have said that they don’t have enough information to be sure.