Two independent studies have concluded that the coronavirus disease COVID-19 most likely originated from a seafood market in Wuhan, China.
CNN writes about it.
In one of these studies, researchers from around the world used mapping tools and social media reports to conduct an analysis. They suggest that while "the exact circumstances remain unclear," the virus was likely present in live animals that were sold on the market in late 2019. The animals were kept close to each other, so they could easily exchange microbes. However, the study does not determine which animals may have been sick.
The researchers found that the earliest cases of COVID-19 were recorded among sellers who sold these animals or people who shopped there. They believe that two separate viruses circulated among animals and spread to humans.
Another study used a molecular approach and shows that the earliest version of the coronavirus probably came in different forms, which scientists call A and B. The researchers suggested that the first transmission of the virus from an animal to a human could have occurred around November 18, 2019. The type of virus found in those infected came from the Wuhan region.
"These findings indicate that it is unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 was widely disseminated in humans before November 2019 and define a narrow window between when SARS-CoV-2 first entered humans and when the first cases were reported COVID-19," says the study.
- It is believed that the coronavirus first appeared in China at a wholesale market in the city of Wuhan in late 2019. Back in March 2020, journalists named the first person with confirmed coronavirus — a woman who sold shrimp at the Huanan market. On January 23, 2020, Wuhan became the first city in the world to be completely isolated due to the coronavirus outbreak.
- According to Hopkins University in the USA, more than 600 million people have fallen ill with the coronavirus in the world, and 6.4 million people have died from it.