US releases declassified report on COVID-19 origins.

The Origins of COVID-19: New Government Report Sheds Light

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence finally released a government report on the origins of COVID-19 on Friday. The chairs of the House Intelligence and Coronavirus Pandemic committees say the report lends credence to the theory that the virus may have originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

Congress passed legislation earlier this year mandating the declassification of information related to potential connections between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the origins of the pandemic.

The declassified report provides insight into the activities of the WIV before the pandemic and presents the Intelligence Community’s (IC) understanding of the origins of COVID-19. However, it does not definitively determine the source of the virus.

“All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection,” the 10-page declassified report states (pdf).

The report includes assessments from the National Intelligence Council (NIC), the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other unnamed agencies.

The majority of agencies, including the NIC and four other Intelligence Community agencies, believe that the virus most likely resulted from natural exposure to an infected animal or a close progenitor.

However, the Department of Energy and the FBI hold the view that the virus originated in a laboratory, although they have different reasons for their assessment.

The CIA and another agency are unable to determine the precise origin of COVID-19, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting, the report states.

Some of the assessments in the report were previously known.

The IC expanded its investigation into COVID-19 in March to explore whether the initial human infection occurred naturally through contact with an infected animal or if it was connected to a laboratory incident.

The report states that the virus was not genetically engineered nor created as a biological weapon, according to “almost all” of the agencies involved. However, there is disagreement among agencies regarding the laboratory origin hypothesis.

Wuhan Experiments ‘Left No Traces of Genetic Modification’

Before the pandemic, the WIV engaged in collaboration with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on “public health-related research.” Some of the WIV scientists conducted experiments on coronaviruses, but there is no evidence of genetic modification in these viruses, according to the report.

However, the report states that the WIV did not possess viruses that could “plausibly be the progenitor of SARS-CoV-2” before the pandemic. Instead, the viruses were primarily used for “virology and vaccine-related work.”

Between 2017 and 2019, the WIV funded research projects and involved some of its personnel in projects to “enhance China’s knowledge of pathogens and early disease warning capabilities for defensive and biosecurity needs of the military.”

“The IC assesses that this work was intended for public health needs and that the coronaviruses known to be used were too distantly related to have led to the creation of SARS-CoV-2,” the report states.

The WIV conducted extensive research on coronaviruses before the pandemic, including genetic analysis and sampling of animals, particularly bats.

While the report acknowledges the presence of genetic engineering work at the WIV, it states that there is no “direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic.”

However, the report notes that some of the WIV’s genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it challenging to detect intentional changes, citing a 2017 dissertation by a WIV student.

“Some of the WIV’s genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it difficult to detect intentional changes,” the report states.

“A 2017 dissertation by a WIV student showed that reverse genetic cloning techniques—which are standard techniques used in advanced molecular laboratories—left no traces of genetic modification of SARS-like coronaviruses.”

The WIV scientists created chimeras of SARS-like coronaviruses through genetic engineering and attempted to clone unrelated infectious viruses. Reverse genetic cloning techniques were employed on SARS-like coronaviruses, although the report states that no evidence suggests intentional genetic modification in relation to SARS-CoV-2.

Inadequate Biosafety Precautions at Wuhan Lab

The WIV had been the subject of biosafety concerns in handling SARS-like coronaviruses before the pandemic.

The report noted that some WIV researchers “probably did not use adequate biosafety precautions at least some of the time prior to the pandemic in handling SARS-like coronaviruses.” This increased the risk of potential exposure to viruses.

Biosafety improvements, training, and procurements were being made in mid-2019, the report states, but the IC is not aware of any specific incident that triggered those measures. This coincided with the broader biosecurity legislation in China.

One issue highlighted in the report is the lack of transparency regarding China’s decisions on which pathogens required higher biocontainment protocols, even after the WIV’s BSL-4 laboratory.