The U.S. government has reaffirmed its stance that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China.
The statement, published on the White House website Friday, cites growing scientific and circumstantial evidence supporting the lab-based origin over natural transmission.
The Trump administration claims that “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2,” a report used to discredit the lab leak theory, was influenced by Dr. Fauci to promote the natural origin narrative. The U.S. argues that SARS-CoV-2 exhibits biological traits uncommon in nature, noting that all COVID-19 cases stem from a single human introduction, unlike previous pandemics.
Further implicating China, the U.S. points to Wuhan’s SARS research lab, which has conducted gain-of-function research at insufficient biosafety levels. While tensions rise between the U.S. and China, Beijing has not yet responded to the allegations.
The global pandemic has caused over 704 million confirmed cases and seven million deaths.