A newly released report from the Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee alleges that there are “indications” that COVID-19 could be tied to China’s biological weapons research program and “spilled over” to the general human population during an incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This new information was released in a minority staff report by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence members on Wednesday night.
The report states that “Contrary to the implication of the [Intelligence Community’s] declassified report, based on our investigation involving a variety of public and non-public information, we conclude that there are indications that SARS-CoV-2 may have been tied to China’s biological weapons research program and spilled over to the human population during a lab-related incident.”
It also suggests that China has worked to cover up evidence related to its involvement in the outbreak. It alleges that Beijing has acted in bad faith by refusing foreign assistance, stifling independent investigations, silencing whistleblowers and journalists, and destroying or withholding critical evidence.
It also claims that Beijing had “failed” to alert international health officials about an outbreak in Wuhan until weeks after its initial detection by Chinese authorities. Additionally, it accuses China of attempting to “coerce” other countries into accepting false narratives about how COVID-19 began.
The allegations about China’s role in potentially covering up evidence of its involvement in the COVID pandemic are serious. It is important for transparency in all involved, if it would have happened sooner maybe the pandemic wouldn’t have happened or wouldn’t have been so severe. If these allegations are true then it would be another example of how dangerous political regimes can be when it comes to international affairs. Only time will tell what will happen next and if proven true if there will be any consequences.
