I get what you're saying but like that implies a direct less virulent ancestor that traveled all way to a wet market in Wuhan and then somehow it did not evolve independently within Italy into a more virulent strain until it was reintroduced back into Italy after the Wuhan outbreak.
I mean, not an expert here, but there could've been a less virulent version of the stuff floating around in Italy for all I know, so what you say makes sense to me, it just doesn't strike me as the simplest time frame? I don't want to argue a lot more , I'm no expert and carry no authority whatsoever so it's kinda useless anyway. Let's say your theory is plausible and not sci-fi stuff.
but like that implies a direct less virulent ancestor that traveled all way to a wet market in Wuhan and then somehow it did not evolve independently within Italy into a more virulent strain until it was reintroduced back into Italy after the Wuhan outbreak.
Could just be the lower population density.
Also the "Italian" strain (March2020) was found first in China too. It was just a tiny proportion of all cases, probably because it wasn't able to penetrate further into the Chinese population, and instead spread to the west.
It was probably quickly limited in China due to a mix of prior immunity, mask wearing, and actual lockdowns (all of which were lacking in the west)
I get what you're saying but like that implies a direct less virulent ancestor that traveled all way to a wet market in Wuhan and then somehow it did not evolve independently within Italy into a more virulent strain until it was reintroduced back into Italy after the Wuhan outbreak.
I mean, not an expert here, but there could've been a less virulent version of the stuff floating around in Italy for all I know, so what you say makes sense to me, it just doesn't strike me as the simplest time frame? I don't want to argue a lot more , I'm no expert and carry no authority whatsoever so it's kinda useless anyway. Let's say your theory is plausible and not sci-fi stuff.
Could just be the lower population density.
Also the "Italian" strain (March2020) was found first in China too. It was just a tiny proportion of all cases, probably because it wasn't able to penetrate further into the Chinese population, and instead spread to the west.
It was probably quickly limited in China due to a mix of prior immunity, mask wearing, and actual lockdowns (all of which were lacking in the west)