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Allegations that the COVID-19 pandemic was designed as a bioweapon early on are now deemed invalid and unfounded.
This, from U.S. intelligence agencies, who reported on Friday that the virus had not been genetically engineered.
However, the origins of the pandemic remain undetermined so far.
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The world can't seem to come to grips with how and where COVID originated.
Ordered by President Joe Biden is the paper issued by the Director of National Intelligence, which elaborates and elucidates on the findings in a 90-day review. The review suggests that analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and genetically engineered, and that most U.S. intelligence agencies concur.
Barring an unforeseen breakthrough early on, U.S. intelligence agencies still haven't a clue as to whether the pandemic is due to zoonotic transmission from bats in Chinese markets in Wuhan, or virus leakage involving a laboratory.
There is word China has been trying to stymie efforts to probe into the origins of the pandemic. This, as reports say China appears impervious to pressure from almost every world leader to be cooperative in investigations into the pandemic.
In addition, it's been scarcely possible for intelligence operations to take place in China, since the country has so far refused to provide access to genetic sequences of coronaviruses stored at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has triggered a lot of conjecture about China's intent.
Meantime, a note in the full report from U.S. intelligence agencies suggests SARS-like coronaviruses and chimeras were created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Nevertheless, this cannot serve as a proof that China deliberately launched the coronavirus.
U.S. intelligence agencies have been endeavouring to connect the dots and locate the source of the virus, but to no avail. And one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the world is by no stretch of the imagination one or two reports away from being able to fathom the mysteries.
Confirming with 100 percent certainty the origin of a virus, according to scientists, is often not a piece of cake.
As such, the origins of the pandemic, as well as how it was spread, remain shrouded in mystery for now.
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