Coronavirus An Engineered Bioweapon? US Intelligence Explores Possibility Of Accidental Leakage From Chinese Lab

The U.S. intelligence and national security officials said the U.S. government may look into the possibility of coronavirus having spread from a Chinese research lab studying diseases in bats.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley told the media Wednesday, April 15, that the U.S. intelligence agencies are looking into the origin of the coronavirus and the possibility that it may have emerged in Wuhan’s research lab.

According to the officials, spy agencies have ruled out the possibility that coronavirus could be a man-made biological weapon. However, the origin of the coronavirus has been linked to Wuhan’s military and civilian lab with the researchers conducting ongoing scientific studies on coronaviruses, according to NBC News.

"This is something we've been watching closely now for some time," said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. He added that the results of the investigations have so far been nothing but “inconclusive.”

A former official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Ronald Waldman, continues to question the theory that the coronavirus emerged at Wuhan’s animal market. The debate has become more intense ever since it became public that one of the early infected persons in Wuhan had no connection to the animal market.

So far, there is no evidence of coronavirus being engineered as a bioweapon. Several scientific studies have confirmed that the virus may have come from wildlife. But since Wuhan’s animal research lab conducts researches on bats on regularly, the accidental leakage angle is being widely discussed and theorized.

One reason why the U.S. Intelligence officials are starting to look at the connection is that the state department cables issued a warning two years ago concerning safety issues at Wuhan’s lab studying bat coronaviruses.

“The cables have fueled discussions inside the US government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus – even though conclusive proof has yet to emerge,” reads an article published in the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Officials continue to deny such theories and maintain their stand on the origin and transmission of the novel coronavirus.