House votes to declassify info about origins of COVID-19

The House voted unanimously Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic.

The 419-0 vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

Debate was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly virus started and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.

The order to declassify focused on intelligence related to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing "potential links" between the research that was done there and the outbreak of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020.

U.S. intelligence agencies are divided over whether a lab leak or a spillover from animals is the likely source of the virus.

Experts say the true origin of the coronavirus pandemic may not be known for many years - if ever.