Latest study on the origins of Covid-19, published Thursday in the journal The science, suggests there is “strong evidence” pointing to an animal market in Wuhan, China.
Investigation suggests that Patient Zero was a shellfish seller working in this market, and the patient reported her first symptoms on December 11th. The findings of the University of Arizona researcher Michael Sparrow, who signed the study, contradict the results of another study, which presented a non-market accountant as the first patient, fueling speculation that the virus may have escaped. laboratory.
According to this study, the accountant who named the world’s first person with Covid-19 reported the first symptoms on December 8, but Sparrow claims the first symptoms of Covid-19 appeared a few days later. The confusion was caused by a dental problem that began on December 8th. This is supported by medical records, which show that symptoms associated with Covid-19, such as fever, did not begin until December 16, and the hospitalization date was December 22.
“This indicates that he was infected as a result of community transmission of the virus after the virus began to spread in the Wuhan market,” the study said. “Her symptoms came after several cases were confirmed in market workers in Wuhan, making the shellfish seller the first known case.“he adds.
“Big red arrow pointing to Wuhan”
Two main hypotheses for the origin of Covid-19 are the transmission of the disease from animals to humans in Wuhan markets or by escaping in a laboratory. The main criticism of the first theory is that the authorities warned of cases of alleged market-related infectious disease on December 30, 2019, which could divert attention to other potential sources of infection.
To counter this argument, Sparrow mapped all known cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection before it became known as a pandemic, and concluded that even if they did not have direct connections to the market, in most cases they were from people who lived or worked nearby. shop. Thus, ten of the first 19 cases of Covid-19 reported in the two hospitals analyzed in the study were associated with the Wuhan market.
“Most of the early symptomatic cases were related to the Wuhan market, and more specifically to the western area where raccoon dogs were kept – which is strong evidence that the pandemic originated in the live animal market.” emphasizes research.
“This could explain the extraordinary prevalence of early cases of Covid-19 in one of the few places in Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, selling the same animals that brought us SARS,” the study suggests.
“In this city of 11 million people, half of the first cases are related to a place the size of a football field. This pattern is very difficult to explain if an epidemic has not begun on the market, ” said Sparrow New York Times…
“A large red flashing arrow indicates the Wuhan market as the most likely location for a pandemic.“, – said the investigator CNN… “The virus did not come from any other part of Wuhan and then entered the market. The evidence points to the beginning of the spread of the virus in the market, which later spread to the surrounding area. “, he adds.
A joint study by China and the WHO, published in March this year, refuted the theory that Covid-19 originated in the laboratory, arguing that the most likely hypothesis is that humans were naturally infected, possibly as a result of wildlife trade. The panel of experts suggested that the virus was likely transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, but stressed that further research is needed.
Last month WHO announced the composition of the new team that he would begin researching new, ineffective viruses that could cause pandemics, and that one of his missions would be to investigate the origins of SARS-CoV-2. According to the WHO, this may be the “last chance” to find out how the coronavirus originated.
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