The Microsoft co-founder said he believes there is a 10-15 percent chance of a natural pandemic hitting in the next four years.

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment that points the finger at China even while acknow

The Central Intelligence Agency previously said that two explanations were plausible, a lab leak or a natural source for the virus. But under new agency director John Ratcliffe, the CIA has changed its view, which is now in line with that of the Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory.

It was unclear the extent to which the agency has collected new intelligence on COVID-19's origins and whether that new evidence was used to formulate the latest assessment.

The Seattle Pandemic Preparedness Cohort study is designed to give a real-time snapshot of which respiratory viruses are out there and how they are evolving and spreading.

US Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Saturday said he was “pleased the CIA concluded in the final days of the Biden administration that the lab-leak theory is the most plausible explanation” and commended Ratcliffe for declassifying the assessment.

The CIA shifts its stance, suggesting a lab leak is more likely the cause of COVID-19 than natural origins. The reassessment has significant international implications.

The Central Intelligence Agency switched its view to conclude that COVID-19 most likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.

Stephens also highlighted the court’s Blake decision. In the landmark ruling in 2021, the state Supreme Court struck down Washington’s law criminalizing drug possession. As a result, convictions under the law could be vacated and legal fees could be refunded.

The COVID-19 virus probably originated from a lab leak rather than via disease-infected animals, the CIA announced on Saturday. "CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting,

The CIA has revised its stance on the origins of Covid-19, stating the virus is 'more likely' to have leaked from a Chinese lab rather than originating from animals.