President Joe Biden said he ordered the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its effort to determine where the coronavirus came from, after conflicting conclusions about whether its origins are natural or a lab accident.
In a statement Wednesday, Biden said the intelligence community delivered a report to him earlier this month that showed it was divided on the origins of the pandemic. Two “elements” of the community lean toward animals being the source, while one leans toward a lab origin, “each with low or moderate confidence,” Biden said.
“I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion,” Biden said. He said he had asked for a new report in 90 days.
“The United States will also keep working with like-minded partners around the world to press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation and to provide access to all relevant data and evidence,” he said.
© Copyright 2025 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.