Langley joins the FBI and Energy Department in agreeing that a lab leak is the most likely source of the pandemic.

The CIA says it has 'low confidence' in its assessment that a 'research-related origin of the Covid-19 pandemic is more likely' and notes in its statement that both scenarios - lab origin and natural origin - remain plausible.

Backs Lab Leak Theory for COVID-19, but Confidence Remains Low By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, (HealthDay News) -- After years of speculation, the CIA has weighed in yet again: A lab leak is now considered the likely origin of the COVID pandemic.

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory.

The Central Intelligence Agency with a "low confidence" has changed its stance and concluded that it's likely the COVI-19 virus was leaked from a Chinese lab before it became a global pandemic five years ago.

The nuanced finding suggests the agency believes the totality of evidence makes a lab origin more likely than a natural origin.