AssetID: 54467922
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: CIA Suggests Lab Leak Likely Cause of COVID Outbreak Amid Low Confidence Assessment
Caption: CIA Suggests Lab Leak Likely Cause of COVID Outbreak Amid Low Confidence Assessment. The CIA now considers a lab leak in China as the more likely origin of COVID-19, while maintaining "low confidence" in its conclusion. The agency's assessment relies on new analysis of intelligence, including the virus's spread, scientific properties, and conditions in China's virology labs. Despite the focus on a lab incident, the CIA acknowledges that both research-related and natural origin scenarios remain plausible. The findings were released on Saturday by John Ratcliffe, Donald Trump's choice to lead the CIA, shortly after he was sworn in as director. Ratcliffe prioritized making a public assessment on the origins of the pandemic, stating it was a "day-one" priority for him. A 2021 World Health Organization report favored natural transmission from animals as the most likely origin, deeming a lab leak "extremely unlikely" but not ruling it out. Beijing has dismissed the lab leak theory as lacking credibility and accused the US of politicizing the issue. In May 2023, a former senior Chinese government scientist admitted a lab leak could not be entirely ruled out. The CIA states it will continue analyzing new information that could impact its assessment of the pandemic's origins. The debate over COVID-19's origin remains a point of contention between global health agencies, intelligence bodies, and political leaders. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Health & Wellbeing,CIA,Lab,Leak,Covid,Outbreak,Amid,Low,Confidence,Aassessment,China,COVID-19,Coronavirus,Pandemic,Virology,Labs,Plausble,John Ratcliffe,Donald Trump,CIA Lead
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