Suppressed report reveals U.S. troops had COVID-19 symptoms in Wuhan months before pandemic began

April 11, 2025 by Willow Tohl

• A previously withheld military report confirmed that seven U.S. service members exhibited COVID-19-like symptoms during the October 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, contradicting earlier Biden administration claims that no illnesses occurred.

• The two-page report, finalized in December 2022, was only made public in March 2025, raising concerns about transparency. It was submitted to congressional committees in 2022 but not published until years later.

• The findings support claims that the virus circulated in Wuhan as early as October 2019, conflicting with China’s official timeline (first case: December 1, 2019). Other international athletes also reported similar illnesses during the games.

• Experts like Richard Ebright and lawmakers like Sen. Joni Ernst condemned the Biden administration’s suppression of the report and demanded accountability regarding COVID-19’s origins.

• The report has reignited debates over pandemic origins, with lawmakers pushing for more inquiries into China’s early outbreak and U.S. government transparency, potentially impacting global health policies.

In a significant development that has reignited debates over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, a suppressed military report has confirmed that seven U.S. service members exhibited COVID-19-like symptoms during the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China, months before the official start of the pandemic. The report, which the Biden administration withheld from public release for over two years, was finally made public in March 2025, raising questions about the transparency and timing of the information.

The suppressed report and its contents

The two-page military report, finalized in December 2022, detailed that seven American military personnel experienced symptoms consistent with COVID-19 during or shortly after the October 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan. These findings directly contradict earlier statements by the Biden administration, which, through Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, had claimed in 2021 that no such illnesses had occurred.

The report was quietly transmitted to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in 2022, as required by the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. However, it did not appear on a government website until late March 2025, when the Trump administration uploaded it to a Defense Department database. The Pentagon has not disclosed when it first became aware of the soldiers' illnesses and declined to comment on the report's contents.

Historical context and implications

The 2019 World Military Games, often referred to as the "military Olympics," brought together nearly 10,000 athletes from over 100 countries to Wuhan, a city that would later become the epicenter of the global pandemic. The presence of multiple athletes from various countries reporting similar symptoms has intensified scrutiny of the timeline and origin of the virus's initial spread.

Chinese officials have long maintained that the first patient with COVID-19 became sick on December 1, 2019. However, credible sources and anecdotal evidence suggest a much earlier exposure, particularly during the October 2019 World Military Games. For instance, athletes from Germany, France, Italy and Luxembourg reported falling ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and some described Wuhan as a "ghost town" with empty streets and heightened health precautions.

Expert reactions and congressional demands

Rutgers University professor Richard Ebright, a vocal advocate for the lab-leak theory, stated that the withheld report strengthens existing evidence that COVID-19 was circulating in Wuhan in October-November 2019. "This new information strengthens U.S. and allied intelligence data indicating that COVID-19 was circulating in Wuhan in October-November 2019," Ebright told the Washington Free Beacon. He criticized the Biden administration and Congress for keeping the report from the public, calling it "an outrage."

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) also condemned the concealment, stating, "Taxpayers deserve to know the truth about COVID-19 origins, but the Biden administration concealed this information from the American people for years."

Congressional Republicans have long held that the 2019 World Military Games may have been "one of the earliest super spreader events" of the pandemic. A House Foreign Affairs Committee report issued in August 2021 reinforced this position, suggesting that the virus could have been spreading in Wuhan as early as September 2019.

The investigation continues

The release of the suppressed military report has added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing debate over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. It underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in public health crises and raises critical questions about the early spread of the virus and the actions of both the Chinese and U.S. governments. As the debate continues, the new disclosures are expected to spark further congressional inquiries into what the Biden administration knew, when it knew it, and why it withheld this report from public view for so long. The answers to these questions could have far-reaching implications for global health security and international relations.