Covid-19 origin story is shrouded in mystery. Is Congress the right detective?

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of senators announced Wednesday they are introducing legislation to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify ways to better respond to future outbreaks.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she wants to create a 9/11 Commission-style investigation to get to the bottom of whether the virus originated in the wild or in a market in Wuhan, China – or from a leak from a nearby government biolab. Despite years of investigation, U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided as to the cause of the virus, in part due to a lack of cooperation from Beijing.

If approved, the new task force would also take a comprehensive look at the U.S. government’s preparedness, response, and recovery efforts to help respond to future pandemics. That would include a review of available medical supplies and other resources, public health messaging and the government’s role in developing and distributing vaccines, Ernst said in a statement.

'Many missteps'

“In hindsight, there were many missteps made in the preparation and response to COVID-19—and possibly even in the origins of the pandemic,” Ernst said. "Every day we delay this independent, transparent investigation, we risk a fatal repeat."

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As of Wednesday, the virus has killed more than 1.1 million people in the United States, and nearly 7 million deaths worldwide, according to federal and international public health organizations.

The proposed National Task Force on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act comes one day before the public health emergency that was declared in January 2020 is set to end. The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency.

Other co-sponsors include Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California.

Ernst said the task force would have the authority to hold hearings, take testimony and issue subpoenas. It would be comprised of twelve members, six appointed from each party, and would be required to submit an interim report to Congress and President Biden within six months of its initial meeting, and a final report within 18 months.

Murky and still inconclusive origins

The origin of the Covid-19 virus has been a subject of extensive investigation and debate in the U.S. and internationally.

So far, investigations conducted by a variety of international experts have found no definitive proof of a lab leak.

More: As COVID-19 emergency ends, CDC czar Rochelle Walensky resigns from Biden administration

Lack of Chinese transparency

Critics, including many in the U.S. government, say China has not provided access to the necessary data and virus samples. In some ways, it has also hindered outside investigations into the virus's origin. The U.S. government, along with other countries, has called for more openness and cooperation from China to facilitate a thorough analysis. That has contributed to an overall chill in the Washington-Beijing relationship.

Calls for international investigations

Due in part to China’s lack of cooperation, the Biden administration has emphasized the importance of an independent, comprehensive and science-based investigation into how the pandemic began, and how Beijing responded to it. The World Health Organization, or WHO, did conduct an initial investigation in collaboration with Chinese experts, but faced widespread criticism for not being critical enough of China’s response and for not demanding access to relevant data.

Intelligence Assessment: In March 2021, the Biden administration released a declassified summary of the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of the virus's origins. It states that the intelligence community had "coalesced around two likely scenarios: either it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or it was a laboratory accident." However, the report did not offer a definitive conclusion due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

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Problems in the U.S. response

Experts, including current and former U.S. officials, also have been highly critical of Washington’s response to the pandemic.

Recently, more than 30 top experts from the worlds of policy, public health, science, biodefense and patient advocacy published a book, "Lessons from the COVID War," cataloguing some of those mistakes and offerng suggestions for avoiding similar errors.

Scientific data suggests the world remains extremely vulnerable to another pandemic, but only 12% of Americans believe their government is doing enough to prepare, according to a recent poll of 1,000 residents released by YouGov.

The primary author of the book and the group’s director is Philip Zelikow, who led the former 9/11 Commission as executive director.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Covid origin remains mystery. Can congress successfully solve it?