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 finding is not the result of any new intelligence. It was declassified and released Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA.

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.

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).

New CIA director John Ratcliffe has long said he believes the virus most likely emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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

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.

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

"CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible."