Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator during the Biden administration, revealed Sunday that he now considers the lab leak theory the most plausible origin for the COVID-19 pandemic. Jha, formerly the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” that his view has evolved since joining the White House in April 2022, when he initially believed a natural outbreak was more likely.
"Based on information I learned and based on information I have seen, I have come to conclude that it is more likely to have been a lab leak," Jha said. He clarified on X, formerly Twitter, that he believes the leak was accidental, not engineered or deliberate, and acknowledged that reasonable people can interpret the evidence differently. "My view on COVID origins isn't new — I've held it since my time at the White House," he posted, adding that "no one in America knows for sure."
The Wuhan Institute of Virology, a top SARS research facility known for studying coronaviruses in bats, is located in the Chinese city where the virus first emerged. U.S. intelligence reports suggest researchers at the institute may have experienced COVID-19-like symptoms in the fall of 2019, prior to the widely recognized outbreak.
While many scientists continue to favor the natural spillover theory, the lab leak hypothesis has gained traction in some U.S. intelligence agencies. The CIA assessed with "low confidence" last year that a lab leak was the most probable cause. The FBI and the Department of Energy, which oversees a network of U.S. laboratories, have also reportedly reached similar conclusions.
Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, have previously scrutinized U.S. funding for gain-of-function research, a type of study that can enhance the virulence of viruses. Jha emphasized that definitive proof remains elusive and called for greater transparency and accountability from Chinese officials. "The only people who know for sure are people — officials in China, and we still need transparency and accountability on that," he stated.