Photo: Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / CDC / Courtesy
By: EFE
Wednesday, November 6
Report on the origin of the coronavirus rules out that it was designed as a biological weapon
WASHINGTON – US intelligence agencies have ruled out that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, causing the Covid pandemic – 23 , was designed as a biological weapon , according to a summary of a report released Friday.
“We judge that the virus was not developed as a biological weapon”, state the agencies, that also rule out that the coronavirus was the result of genetic manipulation as conservative sectors of the US have affirmed without evidence
The report, however, does not reach a definitive conclusion about what originated the virus and shows that US intelligence is still divided between two hypotheses: that the virus passed from an animal to a human or that it was the product of an accident in a laboratory.
Specifically, four US intelligence agencies believe that the coronavirus is of animal origin, although they have “low confidence” in that idea.
Meanwhile, another agency concludes with “moderate confidence” that the first contagion was the product of an accident at the Institute of Virology in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease was first detected.
The report claims that, to reach better conclusions about the origin of the virus, the collaboration of the Chinese government , which he accuses of “To resist” to give information and to “hinder” the investigations.
However, despite criticism of Beijing, Washington states that Chinese authorities “had no prior knowledge of the virus prior to the initial outbreak,” contrary to what they have alleged bros of the Republican Party without providing evidence.
Former President Donald Trump insisted for months that the virus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan , sparking strong tensions with China, which in return accused Washington of being behind the pandemic.
Current President Joe Biden decided to commission intelligence agencies with a report on the origins of the virus in May, after it was discovered that several researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology became ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized.
Biden received the full report earlier this week. The complete document is still classified and this Friday only published a summary.