After years of speculation, the CIA has weighed in yet again: A lab leak is now considered the likely origin of the CO

Newly-confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News the decision to release a Biden-era analysis favoring the COVID-19 lab leak theory is a step toward transparency.

The US spy agency points the finger at China while acknowledging it has "low confidence" in its own conclusion, which is based on fresh analysis of intelligence about the spread of the virus.

The news comes after the CIA announced over the weekend that COVID-19 most likely originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2020.

The report was declassified and released on Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, John Ratcliffe.

World Health Organization chief says agency already cutting back on hiring and travel with Trump withdrawal set to hit funding.

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion.

World: Covid-19 origin theory, Donald Trump's pick, John Ratcliffe, the new CIA chief, has been a long-time supporter of the lab leak theory.

Founded in 2023, PHTI is an offshoot of the nonprofit Peterson Center on Healthcare, which aims to lower health care costs. It was founded by Peter G. Peterson, the late billionaire and former secretary of commerce for President Richard Nixon. PHTI helps health systems evaluate their technology to reduce health care spending.

China on Monday dismissed the lab leak theory on COVID-19 origins proposed by the CIA, calling it baseless and emphasizing the need for scientific investigation, state media reported.

The first discoveries of people infected with the COVID-19 virus were in Wuhan. Five years after the initial lockdown was imposed, the Chinese city has not yet recovered from the crisis.