Studies link COVID-19 to wildlife sales at Chinese market, find alternative scenarios extremely unlikely
www.sciencedaily.com
Analyses based on locations and viral sequencing of early COVID-19 cases indicate the pandemic started in Huanan market in Wuhan, China, with live animals being sold at the market as the likely source. Genomic studies revealed that the SARS-Cov-2 virus jumped into humans on at two separate occasions.

All up not the worst outcome.

Best outcome would have been that it was already spreading globally (as suggested by wastewater analysis) and China just detected it first.

Next best would be that it was brought into the wet market, but by a person.

Slightly worse is if it jumped from animals at the market, as that vindicates the racists. <— we are here

Worse than that is accidental lab leak of natural virus.

Worse still is accidental lab leak of manufactured virus.

Worst of all is intentional release of manufactured virus.

  • Sincerity [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    You don't need passaging when you have millions upon millions of interactions with wildlife reservoirs to allow for that ridiculously small chance that a novel zoonotic disease with the ability to transmit human to human to emerge.

    What we're not seeing is the possibly billions of failed interactions humans are having with wildlife reservoirs of various viruses which do not result in any successful transmission or infection of humans at all. This is happening all around the world (particularly where people are engaged directly with and often in conflict with remaining healthy wild ecosystems) every single day. COVID (SARS-CoV-2) was just a horrifically unlucky event; especially given its efficacy of human to human transmission even when it had barely diverged/evolved from the initial lineage that jumped the species barrier.

    • TerminalEncounter [she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      You know what, that's true. I hadn't thought about it in terms of how often humans come into contact with animals, especially with climate change and ecosystem destruction. I mean, for me, it doesn't change anything about how I deal with covid because that's still down to vaccines, masking, etc.

      • Sincerity [comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        You’ve hit the nail on the head. Destroying our planets remaining intact and vibrant ecosystems is increasing the chances that something else will cross the species barrier again.