Afghanistan, Jan. 26 -- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has announced that the origin of the coronavirus is unlikely to be animal-based and was likely the result of a lab leak in China.
John Ratcliffe, the new head of the CIA, who assumed office on Thursday, has prioritized the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus as a key focus of his tenure.
A CIA spokesperson officially stated on Saturday, January 25, that "the agency assesses with high confidence that the origin related to COVID-19 pandemic research is more plausible than a natural origin based on available reports."
Previously, a U.S. Congressional committee, after two years of investigation into COVID-19, concluded that the virus likely emerged from a "laboratory...