US intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory, saying they have concluded that coronavirus was “not man-made or genetically modified”.
US intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory, saying they have concluded that coronavirus was “not man-made or genetically modified”.
But they say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.
The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence comes as President Donald Trump touted the as-yet-unproven theory that an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, the epicentre of the Chinese outbreak, was the source of the global pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 people worldwide.
In recent days, the Trump administration has sharpened its rhetoric against China, accusing the geopolitical foe and vital trading partner of failing to act swiftly enough to sound the alarm about the outbreak or to stop the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19.
US officials have said the Chinese government should “pay a price” for its handling of the pandemic.
The new statement says: “The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the Covid-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified.
