meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
1 big thing

The rekindled debate over the origins of COVID-19

1 big thing

Axios

News

42K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2023

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Department of Energy over the weekend concluded in a "low confidence" assessment that COVID-19 most likely originated from a laboratory in China. But government agencies remain largely split on where the pandemic came from. Plus, new data shows the rise in sexual violence against girls in America. And, Black artists you love in honor of Black History Month. Guests: Axios' Tina Reed and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh's Elizabeth Miller. Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Naomi Shavin, Fonda Mwangi and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893. Go Deeper: New COVID lab leak assessment rekindles debate over pandemic origins Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says Teen girls "engulfed" in sadness and violence, new report says Love is Respect National Domestic Violence Hotline Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Joy Spring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Good morning. Welcome, Axios today. It's Monday, February 27th. I'm Nyla Buddha. Here's

0:09.6

what we're covering today. New data shows the rise in sexual violence against girls in America.

0:15.4

But first, the divisive debate around the origins of COVID-19. That's today's one big thing.

0:22.7

The Department of Energy has concluded in a low confidence assessment. The COVID-19 most likely

0:35.2

originated from a laboratory in China. The Wall Street Journal first reported that yesterday.

0:41.2

Government agencies remain largely split on where COVID-19 came from. And Axios' Tina Reed has

0:47.1

been covering how the conversation is changing around the origins of the disease. Tina, what does

0:52.7

this low confidence DOE assessment really mean in the grand scheme of things? So that's actually the

0:59.2

question that I heard from experts over the weekends. They were having trouble making heads or tails of

1:04.0

it, particularly because the Department of Energy did not specify to the Wall Street Journal what

1:09.5

new intelligence they were basing this assessment off of. And so government agencies are split on the

1:15.0

origins of COVID-19. The Energy Department and the FBI say the virus was likely spread via a lab

1:22.1

leak. But other say it was likely the result of natural transmission. What are you hearing from

1:28.0

medical experts about this debate? Most of the folks that I spoke with were saying that they

1:34.0

have seen no additional evidence that would leave them to believe that this came from a lab leak.

1:39.2

And they've been fairly well convinced by the evidence that this did come from a natural spillover

1:46.3

from animals to humans. But as they said it, we probably won't actually definitively get enough

1:52.6

evidence to say either way. Tina, can you remind us what's at stake here, understanding the origins

1:58.7

of COVID-19? So if one of the worst pandemics in history was created by humans, that's obviously

2:04.5

incredibly scary for people. And it obviously would come with some serious diplomatic issues between

2:11.1

the US and China, between the rest of the world in China. And one of the things I think is important

2:15.9

to point out, again, from the Wall Street Journal's reporting is that the consensus of these

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Axios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Axios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.