Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the true origin of the Covid pandemic — and have rejected the popular theory that the virus was leaked from a laboratory.
A major international study published today insists that the virus began life in a ‘wet market’ in Wuhan, China, rather than in a scientific experiment.
Researchers tested genetic samples of animals that were sold in Wuhan market stalls in 2019, and found traces of the Covid virus in some species.
They argue that this is the first time scientists have pinpointed the animals that may have been responsible for transmission to humans.
‘This adds another layer to the accumulating evidence that all points to the same scenario: that infected animals were introduced into the market in mid-to late November 2019, which sparked the pandemic,’ said author of the study Kristian Andersen from Scripps Research.
Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan China, where scientists believe the pandemic started
A raccoon dog, which was sold live at the market and is now thought to be one of the main culprits in spreading the virus to humans
The raccoon dog, a fox-like animal common in East Asia, was suggested to be the biggest carrier of the virus.
Other animals such as masked palm civets, hoary bamboo rats and Malayan porcupines were also found to be carrying Covid-19 before it spread to humans.
This is not a definitive list as many of the key animal species were cleared out from the market before the Chinese health team arrived, said Florence Débarre of the French National Centre for Scientific Research who led the study.
The scientists note that many of the early cases in Wuhan, a city of 12 million people, were workers from the market.
Debate has raged about the source of the pandemic that claimed 7million lives globally and over 200,000 in the UK.
The alternative theory is that the pandemic was caused by a leak from one of the laboratorys at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
This theory gained traction after the Director of the FBI Christopher Wray said the bureau believes Covid-19 ‘most likely’ originated in a ‘Chinese government-controlled lab’.
President Biden failed to shut down the lab leak conspiracy after he ordered an investigation into the theory.
Malayan porcupines were also identified as one of the animals that caused the spread to humans
The market and the lab are just 14 miles away from each other which added to the theory
Following the publication of this latest study scientists now insist that the pandemic did originate at the market as originally reported.
The study is based on a new analysis of data released by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The data came from more than 800 samples collected in and around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale market beginning on January 1, 2020, and from genetic samples reported from early COVID-19 patients.
On January 1, 2020, after the animals were removed and just hours after the market was closed, investigators from the Chinese CDC went to the market to collect samples.
They swabbed the floors, walls, and other surfaces of the stalls and came back days later to focus on surfaces in stalls selling wildlife, such as a cage and carts used to move animals.
They also collected samples from the drains and sewers.
Experts warn that lessons from Covid-19 have not been learnt, with the possibility of a future pandemic caused by the trade of live animals.
‘This is the most risky thing we can do—take wild animals that are teeming with viruses and then play with fire by bringing them into contact with humans living in the heart of big cities, whose population densities make it easy for these viruses to take hold,’ said Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, one of the study authors.
Other experts agree. Commenting seperately, Professor James Wood, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge who did not take part in the study said: ‘While efforts have been made globally to tighten up on laboratory biosecurity to ensure that viruses cannot inadvertently escape, little or nothing has been done to limit either the live trade in wildlife.
