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

The CIA now assesses the virus that causes Covid-19 more likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China, rather than occurring naturally, according to a statement from the agency Saturday, just days after Director John Ratcliffe took the reins.

The CIA has changed its assessment on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, now favoring the lab leak theory. But some worry this could be an indication of politicization.

The Central Intelligence Agency said COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak in China in a Saturday statement, pivoting from a previously neutral stance just a few days after Director John

A new analysis that began under the Biden administration is released by the C.I.A.’s new director, John Ratcliffe, who wants the agency to get “off the sidelines” in the debate.

The Central Intelligence Agency said Saturday that it’s more likely a lab leak caused the Covid-19 pandemic than an infected animal that spread the virus to people, changing the agency’s yearslong stance that it couldn’t conclude with certainty where the pandemic started.

The assessment released Saturday points at China while acknowledging that the CIA has “low confidence” in its own conclusion.

Intelligence agencies have never been able to conclude whether Covid-19 was caused by an incident in a lab or if it began in nature

The CIA on Saturday offered a new assessment on the origin of the Covid outbreak, saying the coronavirus is "more likely" to have leaked from a Chinese lab than to have come from animals. But the intelligence agency cautioned it had "low confidence" in this determination.

The intelligence agency says it has a “low confidence” in its new finding, but this is further than it has ever gone in pinpointing the origin of the virus that killed millions worldwide.

NEW YORK - The Central Intelligence Agency has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic is "more likely" to have emerged from a lab rather than from nature, an agency spokesperson said on Saturday (Jan 25).