U.S. House votes to declassify info on COVID-19 origins

(ABC 6 News) – Following a claim from the energy department that the COVID-19 pandemic first originated as a result of a lab leak in China, the U.S. House voted unanimously to declassify a trove of information that sheds light on how exactly the pandemic started.

After showing a lot of bipartisan support, the bill is on its way to President Biden’s desk.

RELATED: House votes to declassify info about origins of COVID-19

The debate inside the House was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly pandemic started and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.

As of now, it’s still not clear whether the President will sign the bill into law.

Biden himself said he has not decided while White House staff say the matter is under review.

The newly passed bill heads to the President’s desk just days after experts testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee saying they believe the most likely origin of the pandemic was a result of the Chinese lab leak.

“Based on my initial analysis of the data, it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event,” former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said.

There’s still no solid proof that a lab leak is at the center of the pandemic, questions have swirled over its origins since shutdowns started in March 2020.

This rare moment of bipartisanship shows that Americans are somewhat unified in their demand for transparency on the issue.

“Everything is so politicized that any type of transparency will be beneficial despite whatever the information is,” Rochester resident Kacy Lymen said.

If the bill is signed into law, the information would be required to be made public within 90 days.

That information is expected to include “any and all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus.