Genetic evidence gives support to theory COVID originated in Wuhan market
PBS NewsHourMar 18, 2023
Virus researchers say they have found genetic data from a market in Wuhan, China, allegedly linking the COVID virus with the sale of raccoon dogs in that location, adding to evidence that the pandemic could have been started by an infected animal sold through the illegal wildlife trade.
The new findings haven't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and there's no definite answer on how the virus could jump from raccoon dogs to humans, but the team said it is the strongest evidence of the natural transmission theory.
The discovery of genetic material from both the virus and an animal known to be susceptible to it, as is the case with raccoon dogs, is a strong indication that an infection of that animal may have taken place at the market at the time the pandemic began. This isn't exactly a smoking gun, but it's the strongest evidence for a natural origin of COVID, casting doubt on the sinister theory that it originated from a lab leak.
This latest development doesn't actually offer any substance on how COVID originated; the report merely suggests that animals that can carry COVID were present at the market but offers no proof that they transmitted it to humans. The analysis is further weakened by its lack of corroboration within the scientific community — a fault that is likely here to stay as the data has suspiciously been removed. Until more conclusive findings are shared, all theories, including the lab leak hypothesis, are on the table.
There's a 37% chance that by January 1, 2025, at least two public health agencies will claim that COVID more likely than not originated in a laboratory, according to the Metaculus prediction community.