The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic is 'more likely' to have originated from a laboratory, rather than from a natural source, a spokesperson confirmed on Saturday.

This marks a shift from the agency's previous stance, which had not drawn a clear conclusion on the origins of the virus.

Former CIA Director William Burns requested a definitive evaluation of the pandemic’s origins in the final weeks of the Biden administration, according to a senior U.S. official.

The CIA's assessment, however, comes with 'low confidence,' and it emphasized that both a lab-based origin and a natural origin remain plausible scenarios.

The agency did not clarify whether new intelligence had been gathered to support this conclusion.

China has strongly rejected claims of a laboratory leak, asserting that they lack credibility.

The Chinese government maintains that it has cooperated with global efforts to trace the origins of COVID-19, while accusing U.S. intelligence agencies of politicizing the issue.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, confirmed in a recent Senate interview, said that investigating the origins of the pandemic was a priority for his agency.

Ratcliffe has previously stated that he believes the virus originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, based on a combination of intelligence, scientific findings, and 'common sense.'

Beijing has consistently criticized these claims, dismissing them as politically motivated, and has argued that efforts to investigate the lab leak theory are biased.

While both U.S. and Chinese officials remain at odds on the matter, the investigation into the origins of COVID-19 continues, with the scientific community divided on the most plausible explanation.