Recent Research Allegedly Identifies the Origin of Covid-19
New research suggests that the coronavirus pandemic “most likely” originated from an exotic wildlife area at a market in Wuhan, China. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
New research indicates that the trade in exotic animals at a Wuhan market was likely the primary pathway for the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have “most likely” originated from a section dedicated to exotic wildlife at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported in December 2019.
A study published on Thursday in the journal Cell features insights from researchers who identified the area within the market that was linked to the initial cases. They found that animals capable of serving as “plausible intermediate hosts” for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, were present there.
The research examined samples collected by Chinese scientists in January 2020 from various locations within the southwest corner of the market, where stalls sold wild animals.
DNA samples identified species such as the raccoon dog, masked palm civet, hoary bamboo rat, Amur hedgehog, Malayan porcupine, greater hog badger, and Himalayan marmot.
Raccoon dogs, in particular, are known to be vulnerable to COVID-19 and can transmit the virus, as noted by the researchers.
The report asserts, “Extensive epidemiological evidence supports wildlife trade at the Huanan market as the most likely conduit for the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin.”
The authors propose that infected animals may have been introduced to the market, leading to a spillover event where the virus jumped to humans.
Co-author Michael Worobey, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, remarked to NPR News, “The most likely origin of this pandemic is what we’ve always been concerned about in this field, which is taking these sorts of wild animals that harbor exotic viruses and placing them in the middle of the tinderbox of a big city.”
However, some critics of the study have raised concerns that the swabs analyzed were not representative, as they were taken from a specific area of the market.
Following its discovery in December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread rapidly, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
According to the WHO, the pandemic has resulted in over 7 million deaths worldwide.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have “most likely” originated from a section dedicated to exotic wildlife at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported in December 2019.
A study published on Thursday in the journal Cell features insights from researchers who identified the area within the market that was linked to the initial cases. They found that animals capable of serving as “plausible intermediate hosts” for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, were present there.
The research examined samples collected by Chinese scientists in January 2020 from various locations within the southwest corner of the market, where stalls sold wild animals.
DNA samples identified species such as the raccoon dog, masked palm civet, hoary bamboo rat, Amur hedgehog, Malayan porcupine, greater hog badger, and Himalayan marmot.
Raccoon dogs, in particular, are known to be vulnerable to COVID-19 and can transmit the virus, as noted by the researchers.
The report asserts, “Extensive epidemiological evidence supports wildlife trade at the Huanan market as the most likely conduit for the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin.”
The authors propose that infected animals may have been introduced to the market, leading to a spillover event where the virus jumped to humans.
Co-author Michael Worobey, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, remarked to NPR News, “The most likely origin of this pandemic is what we’ve always been concerned about in this field, which is taking these sorts of wild animals that harbor exotic viruses and placing them in the middle of the tinderbox of a big city.”
However, some critics of the study have raised concerns that the swabs analyzed were not representative, as they were taken from a specific area of the market.
Following its discovery in December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread rapidly, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
According to the WHO, the pandemic has resulted in over 7 million deaths worldwide.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
