US report concluded COVID-19 may have leaked from Wuhan lab: Media
A report on the origins of COVID-19 by a US government national laboratory concluded that the hypothesis claiming the virus leaked from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible and deserves further investigation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the classified document.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The study was prepared in May 2020 by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and was referred by the State Department when it conducted an inquiry into the pandemic’s origins during the final months of the Trump administration, the report said.
Lawrence Livermore’s assessment drew on genomic analysis of the COVID-19 virus, the Journal said.
Lawrence Livermore declined to comment on the Wall Street Journal report.
President Joe Biden said last month he had ordered aides to find answers to the origin of the virus.
US intelligence agencies are considering two likely scenarios - that the virus resulted from a laboratory accident or that it emerged from human contact with an infected animal - but they have not come to a conclusion, he said.
A still-classified US intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump’s administration alleged that three researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, US government sources said.
US officials have accused China of a lack of transparency on the virus’ origin, a charge Beijing has denied.
Read more:
UAE reports drop in COVID-19 infections, three deaths in 24 hours
Coronavirus: COVID-19 PCR test needed to travel to UAE, here’s all you need to know
-
UAE reports drop in COVID-19 infections, three deaths in 24 hours
The United Arab Emirates has reported a drop in the number of daily coronavirus infections, registering 1,763 new cases, 1,740 recoveries and three ... Coronavirus -
Coronavirus: COVID-19 PCR test needed to travel to UAE, here’s all you need to know
All travelers arriving in or transiting through the United Arab Emirates must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from August 1, authorities ... Coronavirus -
UAE urges youths to take COVID-19 vaccine
The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Youth Authority urged the country’s young people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying that this step ... Coronavirus