Fauci says he is 'not convinced' COVID-19 came about naturally

"I think that we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened," Fauci said.

By Alex Nitzberg

Published: May 23, 2021 11:10am

Updated: May 23, 2021 11:44am

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci earlier this month said that he is not certain that COVID-19 occurred naturally.

PolitiFact’s Katie Sanders asked Fauci whether Fauci is "still confident that it developed naturally?" Fauci said that he is not.

"But no, I'm not convinced about that," Fauci said. "I think that we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened."

He added that those who have probed the matter have said that the likely scenario "was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals. But it could've been something else, and we need to find that out. So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus."