The newly released document provides limited additional information beyond what was already made public in the unclassified report. However, certain sections of the annex contain more detail about activities at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and its collaboration with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). For instance, the annex acknowledges that WIV researchers conducted coronavirus research in collaboration with PLA scientists, though it emphasizes that the coronaviruses studied were not direct ancestors of SARS-CoV-2.

One notable point of interest in the annex, which mirrors the public report, is the mention of WIV researchers falling ill in the fall of 2019. The annex states that some researchers displayed symptoms that were consistent with, but not diagnostic of, COVID-19. However, there are no indications that these individuals were hospitalized due to the symptoms, and some may have been ill with unrelated conditions. This detail is echoed in the unclassified report, though the annex provides slightly more specificity regarding the health of these researchers.

Most of the newly released material remains heavily redacted. The declassification letter explains that much of the report continues to be classified under sections protecting intelligence activities, foreign relations, and scientific or technological information relevant to national security. These redactions are supported by 50 U.S.C. § 3024(i) of the National Security Act, which is invoked to protect intelligence sources and methods.

The unclassified version of the report, released in June 2023, addressed potential links between the WIV and the origins of COVID-19. It highlighted two competing hypotheses for the pandemic’s origin: natural exposure to an infected animal or a laboratory-related incident. While most U.S. intelligence agencies assess that the virus was likely transmitted to humans through natural exposure, a few agencies, including the Department of Energy and the FBI, favor the hypothesis of a laboratory-related origin. The report also pointed out that no evidence suggests the virus was genetically engineered or deliberately released.

The declassified annex, while providing some additional context, largely aligns with these conclusions. The exemptions and redactions in the document demonstrate the sensitive nature of the intelligence surrounding this issue, particularly concerning the involvement of the PLA and the specific activities undertaken at the WIV.

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Document Archive

ODNI Releases Partially Declassified Annex on Wuhan Lab and COVID-19 Origins [4 Pages, 1.34MB]

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The post ODNI Releases Partially Declassified Annex on Wuhan Lab and COVID-19 Origins first appeared on The Black Vault.

The CIA’s final response after more than a year and a half is what is known as a “GLOMAR response.” This is when an agency “can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of such records responsive” to any particular request.

The question does arise if the CIA will blanket deny 100% of requests that come in on their director’s e-mail box, and this is just standard practice. In another case from 2019 (FOIA Case F-2020-00333), The Black Vault filed for a search of Haspel’s emails for the keyword, “Ciaramella,” which tied in to the alleged CIA whistleblower who exposed President Donald Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine which led to Trump’s impeachment trial. This case also yielded a “GLOMAR response,” but in that case, that outcome is somewhat expected, given his identity was not confirmed at the time of filing.

If it were standard practice, it does not seem reasonable that it would take more than a year and a half to offer a GLOMAR response. It would be expected that upon filing, for any keyword search on a CIA director’s e-mail box; it would just be immediately denied.

The Black Vault has numerous other cases currently still open for e-mails sent to or from Haspel and those cases will be posted upon completion.

The final response letter is below:

The post CIA Will Not Confirm or Deny If E-Mails on COVID or the Pandemic Exist Within Trump’s CIA Director’s E-mail Box first appeared on The Black Vault.

This caused controversy, because the CDC upon changing the guidance, did not publish the data supporting it.

On July 30, 2021, they did. The below is the report which is, according to the CDC, what played a role in their viewpoint change.

According to the report:

In July 2021, following multiple large public events in a Barnstable County, Massachusetts, town, 469 COVID-19 cases were identified among Massachusetts residents who had traveled to the town during July 3–17; 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons. Testing identified the Delta variant in 90% of specimens from 133 patients. Cycle threshold values were similar among specimens from patients who were fully vaccinated and those who were not.

Jurisdictions might consider expanded prevention strategies, including universal masking in indoor public settings, particularly for large public gatherings that include travelers from many areas with differing levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The Report

Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021 [5 Pages, 0.6MB]

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The post Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021 first appeared on The Black Vault.

USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) Sailors demonstrate helpful ways to fight the spread of COVID-19.

This video was created and published in May of 2020 in order to help provide better understanding of fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Video Archive

The post Fight the Spread of COVID-19 with Sailors from the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following document was sent internally at the FBI on February 24, 2020. It was a “Situational Awareness” record that was an update on the Coronavirus situation.

The record stated, when written, “Center for Disease Control (CDC) assesses the current risk to the American public as low, but is taking proactive preparedness precautions.”

Document Archive

FBI Coronavirus Situational Awareness E-Mail, February 24, 2020 [7 Pages, 0.5MB]

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The post FBI Coronavirus Situational Awareness E-Mail, February 24, 2020 first appeared on The Black Vault.