**U.S. Intelligence Community Assesses that COVID-19 Originated from a Lab Incident in Wuhan**
**Washington, D.C., August 29, 2021** – The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has assessed that the COVID-19 virus most likely originated from a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China. This assessment is based on a new analysis of information and data collected and analyzed by the IC.
The IC’s analysis found that the virus most likely emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a laboratory that conducts research on coronaviruses in bats. According to the IC, the virus was likely accidentally released from the laboratory through an infection of a researcher.
The IC’s assessment is consistent with the findings of several scientific studies that have suggested that the virus is not of natural origin. One study, published in the journal *Nature Medicine*, found that the virus has a unique genetic feature that is not found in any other known coronaviruses. This feature, known as a .
