An international group of researchers has uncovered new genetic information that links raccoon dogs sold at a Wuhan market to the COVID-19 virus. It’s not the smoking gun that confirms that animals first spread the virus to humans, but it’s another clue that might resolve the ongoing debate over whether COVID-19 started in animals or in a lab.
Here’s what the latest information reveals:
Genetic analysis from a sample swabbed from a cart at the Wuhan market in 2020 contained genetic material from both raccoon dogs and SARS-CoV-2. That doesn’t mean the raccoon dogs were infected with the virus, but does strongly suggest that the virus and animals co-existed, making it possible that COVID-19 spread from animals to humans.
The genetic sequences, which were posted on a public database, have since been removed.
The World Health Organization has asked Chinese officials to make the genetic sequences available again, so scientists can study them further to better understand where the virus originated.
