Wuhan market was epicentre of pandemic’s start, studies suggest
Report authors say that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 jumped to people from animals sold at the market on two occasions in late 2019 — but some scientists want more definitive evidence.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00584-8
Scientists have released three studies that reveal intriguing new clues about how the COVID-19 pandemic started. Two of the reports trace the outbreak back to a massive market that sold live animals, among other goods, in Wuhan, China1,2, and a third suggests that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 spilled over from animals — possibly those sold at the market — to humans at least twice in November or December 2019(3). Posted on 25 and 26 February, all three are preprints, and so have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
These analyses add weight to original suspicions that the pandemic began at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which many of the people who were infected earliest with SARS-CoV-2 had visited. The preprints contain genetic analyses of coronavirus samples collected from the market and from people infected in December 2019 and January 2020, as well as geolocation analyses connecting many of the samples to a section of the market where live animals were sold. Taken together, these lines of evidence point towards the market as the source of the outbreak — a situation akin to that seen in the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002–04, for which animal markets were found to be ground zero — says Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and an author on two of the reports. “This is extremely strong evidence,” he says.
However, none of the studies contains definitive evidence about what type of animal might have harboured the virus before it spread to humans. Andersen speculates that the culprits could be raccoon dogs, squat dog-like mammals used for food and their fur in China. One of the studies he co-authored2 suggests that raccoon dogs were sold in a section of the market where several positive samples were collected. And reports4 show that the animals can harbour other types of coronavirus.
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But since then, other evidence has come to light that supports a zoonotic origin story similar to that of HIV, Zika virus, Ebola virus and multiple influenza viruses, he says. “When you look at all of the evidence, it is clear that this started at the market.” Separate lines of analysis point to it, he says, and it’s extremely improbable that two distinct lineages of SARS-CoV-2 could have been derived from a laboratory and then coincidentally ended up at the market.
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There is a research lab near the market because, as Sam said, that's where you would put a research lab. BTW, the recent Senate report implicating the lab was
not a bipartisan report from the full committee -- it was Republican only and written by minority party staff.
It is possible the "troubled" Wuhan lab had one accident. But two? Very, very unlikely.
Geolocation points to stalls in the market as the origin point -- not the lab (which was nearby but not in the market itself and we don't see cases starting at its location).
It took around 50 years to find the intermediate animal for HIV (mutated from SIV)... chimps and macaques in Central Africa. We may not have found it yet for COVID, but there are strong candidates - pangolins, minks, horseshoe bats, raccoon dogs ... all sold at that market.
I do agree if it would be helpful if the Chinese government was more cooperative with WHO research teams. Personally, I would recommend upgrading the biosafety protocols at the lab, AND improving regulations and controls on the wet market, not that, unfortunately, the Chinese government is likely to do either.
One hypothesis CAN be ruled out: there is zero evidence the virus is bio-engineered or manmade. The Senate report, at least, doesn't accuse Tony Fauci....