The U.S. Energy Department has zeroed in on a laboratory leak as the most likely cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, though officials said the conclusion was made with "low confidence," The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 26.
The Energy Department was previously undecided about the pandemic's origins. New intelligence, which officials declined to disclose, led the department to change its stance. The agency's position is notable since it oversees a network of federal labs, some of which conduct advanced biological research, according to the Journal.
The new intelligence was shared with other federal agencies, though no others changed their conclusions about the pandemic's origins, according to The New York Times. The FBI has also pointed to the lab leak theory, while four other agencies and the National Intelligence Council suggest the virus emerged through natural transmission. Two other agencies are still undecided.
The new information came from a classified intelligence report recently shared with the White House and Congressional leaders, according to the Journal.
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