Status: 03/21/2023 08:48 a.m
More than three years after the start of the pandemic, the origin of the coronavirus has still not been finally clarified. US President Biden has now passed a law that allows secret service information about the virus to be released.
US President Joe Biden has signed legislation releasing intelligence information on the origin of the coronavirus. He shares Congress’ goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of the virus, Biden said.
“My administration will continue to review all classified information related to the origins of Covid-19, including possible links to the Institute of Virology in Wuhan,” Biden said. The aim is to be able to better prevent future pandemics. When published, however, no information would be disclosed that could endanger national security.
Possible origin in laboratory in Wuhan
Congress had passed a corresponding law about a week and a half ago. There is reason to believe that the corona pandemic originated in a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the text said.
Therefore, the US intelligence coordinator should release “as much information as possible” about the origin of the virus and make it available to the public. However, it initially remained unclear what information the government would release and when.
The corona virus first appeared in the Chinese metropolis in 2019. While many experts see animal-to-human transmission at an animal market in Wuhan as the origin of the pandemic, there is also the theory of a laboratory accident in the city.
Different assessments of the US authorities
In February, several US media reported that the US Department of Energy, which is responsible for overseeing laboratories, now assumes that the corona virus escaped from a Chinese laboratory. The US Federal Police FBI is of the same opinion.
However, the US authorities, including the various secret services, do not agree on their assessments. Some authorities think it’s more likely that the virus was transmitted naturally from animals to humans. The question is also controversial in science.
The topic is also highly charged politically. China has repeatedly rejected information about a possible laboratory accident.