GOP report on COVID-19 origins homes in on lab leak theory

A House Republican lawmaker’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19 is raising concerns that the pandemic outbreak stemmed from a genetically modified virus that leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the Chinese city where the virus was first detected in December 2019.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released on Monday a third installment in his investigation into the origins of the virus and the missteps by China in alerting the world to the risks of the pandemic.

The GOP investigation parallels efforts by the Biden administration and the international community to determine the origins of the pandemic outbreak, which has killed more than 4.2 million people across the world, infected nearly 200 million and upended global stability.

Public health advocates who support efforts to determine the origin of the virus say such an investigation is essential in taking steps to reduce the risk of another pandemic taking place.