News > Didn’t Even Know Of COVID-19 Virus' Existence, How Could It Be Leaked: Wuhan

Didn’t Even Know Of COVID-19 Virus' Existence, How Could It Be Leaked: Wuhan

Claims promoted by the Trump administration that the global coronavirus pandemic originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the central Chinese city are a "pure fabrication," the institute's director said. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have repeatedly said they suspect the virus that was first detected in Wuhan was somehow released from the laboratory. Most scientists say the pathogen that has infected 5.3 million and killed more than 342,000, was passed from bats to humans via an intermediary species likely sold at a wet market in Wuhan late last year.