COVID-19 May Have Been Connected to China’s Bioweapons Program: GOP Report

Peter Daszak (R), Thea Fischer (L), and other members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China's central Hubei Province on Feb. 3, 2021. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

A new unclassified report (pdf) released by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee alleges that COVID-19 “may have been tied” to China’s biological weapons research program.

Released on Dec. 14 by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and other Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the minority report states 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 at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).”