Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) now backs the theory that the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released on Saturday by order of new director John Ratcliffe.But the agency said it has “low confidence” on this conclusion, adding that there isn’t sufficient evidence to easily resolve the ongoing debate over the origin of the pandemic.Why It MattersFinding the origin of the pandemic that killed millions around the world, forced many more into lockdowns, and profoundly disrupted life as we know it could be crucial to prevent future outbreaks.If the virus was found to have escaped from a lab, countries around the world might decide to implement tighter regulations on medical and scientific research involving dangerous viruses. If it was discovered to have originated in a wet market, efforts might be made to make these places more secure.Should the virus be tracked down to a Chinese lab, the relations between the U.S. and China, already strained, are likely to erode in a way that would impact the entire world. Should the lab leak theory be dismissed, trust between the two countries might actually improve, as tensions between them ease.What To KnowThe assessment declassified and released on Saturday on the orders of Ratcliffe, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, was conducted under the Biden administration. It is not based on new intelligence, but rather on the same evidence that has been available to the agency for months now.However, people close to the CIA said that the assessment is based in part on a closer analysis of the conditions in the high-security labs in the Wuhan province, as reported by The New York Times.While the CIA now thinks it is most likely that the virus originated from a laboratory, a spokesperson for the agency said it “continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible.”Ratcliffe, who has long said he believes the virus escaped from a Chinese lab, had told Breitbart News on Friday that he no longer wanted the CIA to “be off the sidelines” of the debate around the origin of COVID-19. Tracing back the origin of the pandemic to a Chinese lab could deeply affect the U.S.-Chinese relations.An Ongoing DebateThe origin of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic has been debated since the start of the health emergency, with opinions split between those who think it arose naturally and those who believe it accidentally escaped from a Chinese lab, where they say it might have been created.Despite several official investigations, the origin of the virus remains uncertain. Scientists believe that the virus likely originated in bats, like most coronaviruses, before moving to another species such as raccoon dogs, civet cats or bamboo rats. COVID-19 eventually infected humans handling those animals at a market in Wuhan, China, where the first few cases of the virus emerged in late November 2019.
A COVID-19 testing tent sits along a Manhattan street on March 9, 2023, in New York City.
A COVID-19 testing tent sits along a Manhattan street on March 9, 2023, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
But the idea that the virus might have originated in a lab never went away. A report made by the U.S. Department of Energy two years ago, which was not publicly released, concluded that the virus might have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, though it expressed low confidence in this finding.No conclusive evidence has been found to back either theory—scientists have not identified one animal that might have infected humans first, and investigators have not found proof that one of the Wuhan labs was working on a virus that led to the pandemic.China has pushed back responsibility for the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, dismissing any theories pointing at the virus escaping from a laboratory in the country.In a comment made in 2023 in response to a statement by then-FBI director Christopher Wray, which indicated the virus might have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, Mao Ning, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said: “By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility.”We urge the U.S. to respect science and facts … stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation.”What People Are SayingIn 2023, John Ratcliffe said: “The lab leak is the only theory supported by science, intelligence, and common sense.”Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China’s U.S. embassy, told The Associated Press on Saturday: “We firmly oppose the politicization and stigmatization of the source of the virus, and once again call on everyone to respect science and stay away from conspiracy theories.”Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, said of the CIA’s new assessment: “Now the most important thing is to make China pay for unleashing a plague on the world.”What Happens NextRatcliffe has promised a more-aggressive CIA, but it is unclear whether he’ll be able to force new investigations on the origin of COVID-19 on Beijing. The Chinese government has strongly denied responsibility for the pandemic, saying that claims that the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan have no credibility.
