Scientists have connected the dots in tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 to Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market, according to evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey. Researchers found evidence of animal-to-human transmission of the virus in the market, where live animals susceptible to the virus, such as raccoon dogs, were sold. The first cluster of COVID-19 cases were traced back to the market, and virologists have not found a related virus from the intermediate host. Worobey suggests that the chance of the first cluster of cases occurring at the market, one of four places in Wuhan that sold live animals, if there wasn’t a source of the virus, is 1 in 10,000. In addition, the geographical association between the market and the earliest known cases of COVID-19 is so strong that it’s “absurd.” The findings have been described as among the best evidence for the emergence of any virus.
WHO Urges China to Disclose Data on Animals Linked to COVID-19
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging Chinese officials to disclose data that could establish a connection between animals and the virus that led to the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental samples collected from a Wuhan seafood and meat market during the early stages of the outbreak revealed genetic material from raccoon dogs and the virus that causes COVID-19 in the same swabs, implying that the animals may have been a source of the virus. However, the data was posted briefly on an international database before it was taken down abruptly over the weekend.
Florence Débarre, a scientist at the nonprofit group Cultivarium, noticed the data on the GISAID database and shared it with an international team. The group contacted the data generators and alerted the WHO, which is now mediating the communication. WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove is calling on Chinese officials to share all the data they have on the potential origins of COVID-19.
Van Kerkhove stressed that more studies need to be carried out to determine the origins of the pandemic. She noted that research has been recommended for years, including investigations into the source of the animals at the market, potential intermediate hosts, and breaches in biosafety biosecurity.
Virologist Angela Rasmussen emphasized that the data doesn’t prove that the raccoon dog was infected at the market. However, she and other scientists are calling for the release of all the data to the international community to help gain a better understanding of the origins of COVID-19.
The WHO, international scientists, and data generators are united in their goal of making data and analyses as open as possible, as soon as possible. The data’s availability is crucial for the international community to conclusively say how this pandemic began.
Evidence Suggests Raccoon Dogs as Likely Origin of COVID-19
While there is no conclusive evidence that a raccoon dog was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at a market, scientists have found evidence that the animals were in the same area where the virus was found. This evidence makes it more likely that an animal contributed to the viral sequences found in the area.
The origin of the pandemic has been debated since it began three years ago. Two main theories exist: the virus spilled over from an animal into people, most likely in a market in Wuhan, China, or the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology due to a laboratory accident.
However, in July 2022, two extensive, peer-reviewed papers published in Science provided the strongest evidence to date that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in animals at a market in Wuhan, China. The papers offer photographic evidence of wild animals, including raccoon dogs and a red fox, sitting in cages in the market in late 2019. The caged animals were shown in or near a stall where scientists found the SARS-CoV-2 virus on a number of surfaces, including cages, carts, and machines that process animals after they are slaughtered at the market.
Genetic analysis estimates that the coronavirus likely jumped into people twice, once in late November or early December and then again a few weeks later. At this time, a huge COVID outbreak occurred at the market, likely infecting hundreds of people working and shopping there. This outbreak is the first documented one of the pandemic and then spilled over into the community.
The data in the 2022 studies offers an incredibly detailed picture of the early days of the pandemic. It provides specific information about the stall at the market where the coronavirus likely was transmitted from an animal into people, pointing to raccoon dogs as a likely starting point for the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
In conclusion, while there is no smoking gun, the data supports the theory that COVID-19 originated in animals at the Wuhan market. The evidence shows that raccoon dogs and other wild animals were in the same area where the virus was found, making it more likely that an animal contributed to the virus’s spread. The genetic and photographic data provide a detailed picture of the early days of the pandemic and the likelihood that it originated in the market.
Evidence Suggests Animal Origin of COVID-19
New studies have provided evidence suggesting that the two variants of the coronavirus found in the Wuhan market evolved inside animals. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found two variants of the coronavirus inside the market, and an independent study led by virologists at the University of California, San Diego suggests that the two variants did not evolve in people because scientists have never detected a variant linking the two together. The studies suggest that the two variants most likely evolved inside animals.
Evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey, who has been at the forefront of the search for the origins of the pandemic, helped lead two of the studies. He has spent his career tracking down the origins of pandemics, including the origin of HIV and the 1918 flu. Worobey signed a letter calling for an investigation into the lab-leak theory in May 2021. But through his own investigation, he quickly found data supporting an animal origin.
Live animals that are susceptible to COVID-19 were in the market in December 2019, including raccoon dogs and red foxes. There is photographic evidence from December 2019 that shows these live animals were present in the market. A concerned customer took photos and videos of the market on December 3 and posted them on Weibo. Although the photos were promptly scrubbed, a CNN reporter had communicated directly with the person who took the photos, and Worobey was able to obtain the photos.
The leaked report from the Chinese CDC detailing the results of environmental sampling showed that live susceptible animals were held in a stall where SARS-CoV-2 was later detected on a machine that processed animals in the market. Virtually all of the findings in the leaked report matched what was in the World Health Organization’s report. However, there was some extra information in the leaked report, such as information on which stalls had virus in them and how many samples in a given stall yielded positive results.
The evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in animals at the Wuhan market. Live animals that were susceptible to COVID-19 were present in the market in December 2019, and SARS-CoV-2 was later detected on a machine that processed animals in the market. Although there is no conclusive evidence that a raccoon dog was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at the market, the evidence makes it more likely that an animal contributed to the viral sequences found in the area. The new studies provide an incredibly detailed picture of the early days of the pandemic and offer evidence that the virus most likely originated in animals.
Evidence Suggests COVID-19 Originated in Animals at a Market in Wuhan
The origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been the subject of much scientific and political debate since the start of the pandemic. Two main theories exist: the virus spilled over from an animal into people, most likely in a market in Wuhan, China, or the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and spread due to some type of laboratory accident.
A new study, published in Science in July 2022, offers strong evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in animals at a market in Wuhan. Scientists concluded that the coronavirus most likely jumped from a caged wild animal into people at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where a huge COVID-19 outbreak began in December 2019. Although the study does not provide a “smoking gun” – an animal infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at a market, it does provide photographic evidence of wild animals such as raccoon dogs and a red fox, which can be infected with and shed SARS-CoV-2, sitting in cages in the market in late 2019.
According to an independent study, live animals that are susceptible to COVID-19 were present in the market in December 2019. Photographs from that time show wild, live animals, including raccoon dogs and red foxes, in cages at the market. Scientists analyzed a leaked report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention that detailed the results of environmental sampling, revealing that virtually all the findings matched what was in the World Health Organization’s report. Additionally, in one stall, five samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and the samples were animal-y. Scientists found virus on a feather/hair remover, a cart used to transport cages, and a metal cage in a back room.
Moreover, the study shows that the earliest known cases of COVID-19, even those not directly related to individuals who had been in the market, radiate out from the market. Half of the earliest known COVID cases were people directly linked to the seafood market, and the other cases have a closer geographical association with the market. The geographical association is “absurdly” strong, according to evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey, who helped lead the studies.
Worobey believes that the data may shift the debate about the lab-leak theory, which suggests that the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He explained that a new genetic analysis tells us that the virus jumped into people right before the outbreak in the market. The earliest known patient at the market had an onset of symptoms on Dec. 10, 2019, and at that point, there were only about ten people infected with the virus in the world and probably fewer than 70. The data are telling a strong story that the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated in animals at a market in Wuhan, China.
Investigating the origins of COVID-19
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of debate about its origins. One theory is that the virus emerged from a wet market in Wuhan, China. Recently, new studies have been conducted on this theory, providing some insights into how the virus might have originated.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found two variants of the coronavirus inside the market. An independent study conducted by virologists at the University of California, San Diego, also suggests that these two variants did not evolve in people. According to the study, it is likely that the two variants evolved inside animals.
Evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey at the forefront of the search for the origins of the pandemic
Evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey has been at the forefront of the search for the origins of the pandemic. He has spent his career tracking down the origins of pandemics, including the origin of HIV and the 1918 flu. Back in May 2021, Worobey signed a letter calling for an investigation into the lab-leak theory. However, through his own investigation, he quickly found data supporting an animal origin.
Live susceptible animals were held in a stall where SARS-CoV-2 was later detected
According to Worobey, it is clear that live animals, including raccoon dogs and red foxes, were in the market in December 2019. There is photographic evidence from December 2019 showing live animals in the market, and these photos were taken by a concerned customer who shared them on social media. Scientists also found virus on a feather/hair remover, a cart used for transporting cages, and a metal cage in a back room.
Geographical association of COVID-19 to the market is strong
From the clinical observations in Wuhan, around half of the earliest known COVID-19 cases were people directly linked to the seafood market. Even the other cases, which aren’t linked through epidemiological data, have a strong geographical association with the market. The chance of having this pattern of cases is 1 in 10 million if the market isn’t a source of the virus. The evidence is amongst the best we have for any emerging virus.
The virus jumped into people right before the outbreak in the market
The earliest known patient at the market had an onset of symptoms on Dec. 10, 2019. At that point in time, there were only about 10 people infected with the virus in the world, and probably fewer than 70.
Unlikelihood of first cluster of cases occurring at the market if there weren’t a source of the virus there
Wuhan is a city of 11 million people, and the Huanan market is only one of four places in Wuhan that sold live animals susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. It is highly unlikely that the first COVID-19 outbreak would occur at the market if there weren’t a source of the virus there.
Conclusion
The studies and investigations conducted by Michael Worobey and his team are telling a strong story about the origins of COVID-19. The data zeroing in on the Huanan market in Wuhan is as compelling as the data that indicated to John Snow that the water pump was poisoning people who used it. The unlikelihood of the first cluster of cases occurring at the market if there weren’t a source of the virus there, combined with other evidence, strongly suggests that the virus originated from animals sold at the market.
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