Wednesday, 14 April, 2021 - 17:15 Director Avril Haines of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) testifies during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing about worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, April 14, 2021. (Reuters) Asharq Al-Awsat Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Wednesday that US intelligence agencies do not know exactly when or how COVID-19 was initially transmitted. “The intelligence community does not know exactly where, when or how the COVID-19 virus was transmitted initially,” Haines told a Senate hearing. She noted two theories, that it emerged from human contact with infected animals or the result of a laboratory accident.