The Department of Energy became the second federal agency to determine that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak in China.
Sars-CoV-2—first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019—has spread across the globe ever since, killing more than 6.8 million people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, and having life-altering effects on many others. From the onset of the pandemic, questions emerged about the virus’ origins with two leading theories typically dominating the scientific community.
Most scientists initially believed the virus was likely transmitted to “patient zero” via a bat in an open-air market in Wuhan. However, a second theory that the virus could have been man-made and leaked from a nearby lab has also gained traction, though U.S. government agencies largely remain divided about the origins of the disease.
Still, the intelligence community remains divided about how the virus originated. Four other agencies, however, maintain that the virus likely spread naturally, while two remain undecided about its origins, according to the newspaper.
