The US Department of Energy asserts that a Chinese laboratory hack most likely generated the coronavirus epidemic. At the same time, the White House reiterated on Sunday that American intelligence was still on the issue.

The Energy Department earlier stated it was unsure of how the virus emerged. The determination, documented in a confidential report by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines' office, was disclosed by The Wall Street Journal.

Individuals who read the classified study claimed that the department made its decision with "low confidence" in the Journal and The New York Times, underscoring how many agencies continue to disagree regarding the causes of Covid-19 and the epidemic that engulfed the world in early 2020.


The judgment, allegedly based on new information, is nonetheless essential because the department controls a network of national laboratories, some of which conduct cutting-edge biological research.

The department now agrees with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of almost seven million people, was caused by an error in a Chinese laboratory.

According to the Journal, four American intelligence organizations think that Covid spread naturally, while the others are unsure.

Adviser of the White House National Security Jake Sullivan emphasized there are still "many points of view" on the subject.

He told CNN on Sunday that the intelligence community "had not yet provided a firm response" to the question.

Beijing stated on Monday urging all parties to "stop stoking rumors about laboratory leaks, stop defaming China, and stop politicizing the origin-tracing problem."

According to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, joint experts from China and the WHO came to the authoritative scientific judgment that a laboratory leak was not feasible.


In response to a rumour that the World Health Organization had given up on its research into the origins of Covid, the organization vowed in mid-February to do all in its power "until we have the answer."

To better combat or avoid the next pandemic, the scientific community believes that understanding the causes of the current outbreak is essential.