Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the origins of the virus have remained prevalent. The theory that the virus may have originated from a laboratory leak in China began to emerge in the early days of the pandemic, though the theory was originally met with skepticism and dubbed a “conspiracy theory” by some prominent media outlets and scientists. On February 26, 2023, more than three years after the first reported cases of COVID-19 in China, the U.S. Department of Energy concluded that a lab leak was the most likely origin of the virus.

Check out our interactive coverage timeline to see how the COVID-19 lab leak theory developed and was covered by news outlets across the political spectrum.

A timeline covering the theory that covid was started by a lab leak and the evolution of the narrative from conspiracy theory to .S. Department of Energy concluded that a lab leak was the most likely origin of the virus