After US President Donald Trump said he had evidence that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, intelligence which is shared among the Five Eyes nations suggests that it is very unlikely.
According to two Western officials, it is most likely that the virus originated in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, citing an intelligence assessment.
A Western diplomatic official who has knowledge of the said intel stated that they believe it is very unlikely that the virus is a laboratory accident. He also added that the intelligence is inclining to the fact that the epidemic was caused by a naturally occurring virus which started from a natural animal to human interaction.
The countries in the Five Eyes which is an alliance made of the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, are already coming together around this assessment. According to the official, however, the US is yet to make a formal public assessment given that the intelligence contradicts statements previously released by Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Another source from the Five Eyes said that the level of confidence and certainty that both Trump and Pompeo expressed are way out based on the current assessment. The source also acknowledged that although the intelligence suggests otherwise, the possibility of a laboratory leak should not be ruled out.
However, he cautioned that there is no evidence to prove that yet.
Also Read: Proof of China’s Lies? COVID-19 'Patient Zero' Reportedly Discovered in a French Hospital
Furthermore, the source said that it is clear that it was in the market where the epidemic exploded from but it remains unclear how the virus got in the area. He also added that despite their findings, it is still impossible to make any conclusions on the issue.
On top of this, the source also said that there is a possibility that the US is keeping some of the intelligence and is not sharing everything with the alliance. This followed after Trump and Pompeo claimed that they have access to evidence that SARS-CoV-2 which is the causative agent for COVID-19 originated in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Last Thursday, the US intelligence community released a statement that they are still working to determine the true origin of the outbreak, whether it began through infected animal contact or a lab-leak accident.
However, it was stressed in the statement that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases and also the US’s top expert on COVID-19, evidence strongly suggests that the virus evolved in nature and then jumped species.
It can be recalled that the Trump administration stated that they were going to find ways to punish China for their role in the spread of the virus. It was also stated that US intelligence was already working on proving this.
However, with the US’s claims and the Five Eyes’ assessment contradicting, it still remains to be known if where and how the virus indeed originated.
