The origin of the pandemic causing coronavirus is still not clear even after almost 3 years of its outbreak. There has been a divided opinion about whether the virus spread in humans from an animal source or is a leaked pathogen from a Chinese lab. According to The Atlantic, a new analysis of genetic sequences collected from the market shows that raccoon dogs being illegally sold at the venue could have been carrying and possibly shedding the virus at the end of 2019.
As per the report, experts claimed that the pandemic began when SARS-CoV-2 hopped from animals into humans, rather than in an accident among scientists experimenting with viruses.
“This really strengthens the case for a natural origin,” Seema Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, who was a part of the research, told The Atlantic.
According to the reports, swabs were used to collect the samples from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and were utilised to gather genetic information in January 2020. This happened not long after the market had been shut down by the Chinese government because of the fears that it was connected to the emergence of a new virus.
This new analysis shows that the involved genetic materials belong to an animal, and a very significant part of it matches the raccoon dog, as stated by the three scientists who were involved in this analysis, reported The Atlantic.
Previously, Christopher Wray, FBI Director, stated that the origin of Covid-19 was most likely originated in a Chinese lab. Wray said in an interview with Fox News.“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan. The Chinese government seems to me has been doing its best to try and thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that we’re doing, and that’s unfortunate for everybody.”