- President Joe Biden wants a “definitive conclusion” on whether COVID-19 emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident in Wuhan
- The U.S. intelligence agencies have 90 days to review the origins of the virus
- COVID-19 emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has killed more than three million people worldwide
- In response, China’s embassy in the U.S. said that politicising the origins of COVID-19 would impact investigations
U.S. President Joe Biden has given U.S. intelligence agencies 90 days to review the origins of COVID-19, adding further pressure onto China to undertake a full investigation.
The president received a report earlier this month with the most up to date analysis of the origins of coronavirus.
In that report, intelligence agencies have considered two likely scenarios – the virus either emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident in Wuhan.
President Biden said in a statement: “I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days.
“As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China.”
COVID-19 emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has killed more than three million people worldwide.
In response, China’s embassy in the U.S. said that politicising the origins of COVID-19 would impact investigations.
China supports “a comprehensive study of all early cases of COVID-19 found worldwide and a thorough investigation into some secretive bases and biological laboratories all over the world”, the embassy spokesperson said on its website.