Did coronavirus escape from a Chinese lab? Not likely, but Trump is 'hearing the story and we'll see'

BBC debunks coronavirus rumors
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/BBC News)

Virologists and other experts who have studied the new coronavirus say its genome precludes the possibility it was engineered by humans, as alleged in some conspiracy theories. But top Trump administration officials are at least entertaining the idea that the naturally occurring virus was accidentally spread from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a lab run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and located about eight miles from the animal market where the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have originated last November or December.

Trump was asked Wednesday about a Fox News report that sources say the Trump administration believes an intern at the lab infected her boyfriend who then spread the virus at the Wuhan market. "More and more, we're hearing the story, and we'll see," Trump said. "We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.