COVID has “most likely” leaked from the lab, the explosive Senate report concludes, as lawmakers say China “deserves no more doubt” about the animal transmission theory
- Politicians said “substantial” evidence had emerged pointing to a lab accident
- But evidence of natural spillover is “absent” even after three years of investigation
- Unwillingness to cooperate means China ‘should no longer take advantage of doubts’
- The findings come in an interim report released by the Senate Health Committee
- The origins of Covid are still a mystery, with no concrete evidence
- But China has shut down independent laboratory investigations and silenced scientists
The Covid pandemic was most likely the result of a lab leak, according to an explosive Senate report.
Policymakers said “substantial” evidence has emerged pointing to a research accident, while evidence of natural spillover is “absent”.
The interim report concluded that China’s unwillingness to cooperate or open the lab in question meant it was “in no doubt”.
It was released today by the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Retirement.
Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where key data was deleted by Chinese scientists
Whether the global outbreak started with a spillover from wild animals sold at the market or leaked from the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has sparked heated debates about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to natural spillover to Huanan’s wildlife market. Positive swab samples from floors, cages and counters are also tracing the virus to stalls in the south-west corner of the market (below left), where animals with the potential to harbor Covid were then sold for meat or fur (below right).