“[U.S.] officials are seriously pursuing the possibility that a natural sample of the virus escaped a laboratory.”

The question was dismissed as a conspiracy theory in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. But now, some intelligence experts admit they are seriously looking into the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic might have been touched off by an accident at a research facility in China, various news outlets report.

“It’s definitely a real possibility being bandied about at the high levels of the administration,” says one of those quoted experts.

Business Insider also reports that intelligence services for the British government are reportedly considering the same possibility.

Obligatory reminder: Maybe, but maybe not. We just don't know yet.

“After extensive research, scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere have determined that the new strain of the coronavirus discovered in China in December is, as Chinese officials have maintained, of natural origin, but they are taking seriously that its route to human infection may have started in a lab in Wuhan,” writes Yahoo News' Jenna McLaughlin:

“It’s absolutely being looked at very closely at the highest levels,” said one intelligence source with knowledge of the investigations. One reason for the suspicion is the lack of information coming from China. Beijing’s quick denials of involvement, and the decision to immediately identify the Wuhan Seafood Market as the source, raised eyebrows among some U.S. intelligence officials.

“I find it very funny that China very quickly blamed the market,” said one recently retired intelligence official.

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https://boingboing.net/2020/04/14/maybe-coronavirus-resulted-fro.html