WASHINGTON – After a two-year investigation, US lawmakers have released a report supporting the theory that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China. The virus has claimed the lives of 1.1 million Americans since its emergence.
The 520-page report, led by the Republican-controlled House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, examined various aspects of the outbreak, including government responses, vaccination efforts, and the virus’s origins.
“This work will guide the United States and the global community in predicting, preparing for, and possibly preventing future pandemics,” panel chairman Brad Wenstrup stated in a letter to Congress.
Conflicting Theories Persist
While most scientists and organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), attribute the pandemic to animal-to-human transmission in China, US intelligence has suggested the possibility of a genetically engineered virus escaping from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The panel, convinced by the lab leak theory, based its conclusions on over a million pages of reviewed documents, 30 interviews, and private testimony from experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the prominent immunologist.
Fauci, who faced death threats and now lives under security protection, strongly denied allegations that he concealed the origins of COVID-19. He argued in June that the bat viruses studied in Wuhan could not have been engineered into SARS-CoV-2.
However, the report claims the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded controversial “gain-of-function” research—studies designed to enhance viruses to better understand and combat them—at the Wuhan lab.
Beijing Responds
China dismissed the report as politically motivated and lacking credibility. “The China-WHO joint expert team concluded that a lab leak is extremely unlikely,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, accusing the US of “slandering China and planting false evidence.”
Key Findings and Controversies
The report criticized lockdowns, stating they caused “more harm than good,” and claimed mask mandates were ineffective in controlling COVID-19 spread. These conclusions contrast with other studies indicating public masking reduced transmission rates. Social distancing guidelines were also criticized, though travel restrictions were credited with saving lives.
Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, the government-funded vaccine initiative, was praised as a “tremendous success,” but school closures were flagged as having lasting negative impacts on children.