Questions arise over source of the new coronavirus

Two reports in 2018 from U.S. Embassy officials in Beijing warned about risky coronavirus research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. U.S. science diplomats visited the institute, where Chinese scientists studied bat coronaviruses to prevent future SARS-like outbreaks. Their diplomatic cables warned of a “serious shortage” of properly trained technicians and raised concerns the research could cause a new outbreak.

Is this where the current pandemic came from? In March, Kristian Andersen from the California-based Scripps Research Institute and other scientists published their study on the genetic makeup of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. They concluded it did not emerge from any previously used virus, so likely didn’t come from a lab. The United States is committed to researching the possibility, but the “weight of evidence seems to indicate [it’s] natural,” said U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on the real toll of the pandemic in China.