Origin of the corona pandemic
The first Covid patient was probably a fish seller in Wuhan
The Huanan Animal Market in Wuhan
© Wu Naibi / Picture Alliance
Where did the corona pandemic begin? Researchers have meticulously evaluated data from China and are now likely to track down the first patient. It’s supposed to be a woman from Wuhan.
How exactly the corona pandemic originated and where the virus came from has still not been conclusively clarified; in general, China is the country of origin, and the disease probably spread from Wuhan all over the world.
Two years after its outbreak, a renowned evolutionary biologist provides further evidence that the Huanan animal market in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan is the likely source of the virus. The first confirmed case of a person with Covid symptoms could be traced back to a fish seller in that market, reports several media outlets, including the “Independent”, and quoting from a new study. The woman is the first confirmed Covid patient. She worked in the market and developed symptoms on December 11, 2019. How the disease developed in women afterwards is not apparent from the new reports on the origin of the corona pandemic.
The first patients in Wuhan contracted Covid in December 2019
According to press reports, it had previously been assumed that the first Corona case was a 41-year-old accountant from the same region, who however lived more than 30 kilometers south of the market. The new study suggests that his corona symptoms would have started a little later than those of the fish seller. He fell ill around December 16, 2019. Researcher Michael Worobey and his team found out for their new study that he was probably infected while on public transport or during dental treatment at the local hospital, as the virus was already spreading in public life in Wuhan at the time.
For their article, which has now been published in the journal “Science”, Worobey’s scientists have listed key events that took place in Wuhan in December 2019 and January 2020. In doing so, they created a timeline of the first known cases, which they compiled from newspaper reports and accessible hospital data, among other things.
Scientists from the University of Arizona Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology concluded that most of the early symptomatic cases could be linked to the Huanan animal market.
Unfortunately, there are no samples from animals from Wuhan
So far, no clear evidence has been provided, as there are no samples from animals that were sold on the market at the time of the outbreak. Finally, the Huanan market was quickly closed and disinfected. However, this does not mean that the mystery surrounding the outbreak can never be solved, the researcher said.
Conclusive evidence could be obtained by analyzing spatial patterns from early cases in Wuhan and additional genetic data from additional samples from patients at the time. “The prevention of future pandemics depends on this effort,” said Worobey.
The virus first appeared in Wuhan at the end of 2019. However, a team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) was only allowed to travel to China more than twelve months later and had returned without clear results. The team then announced that it was not entirely clear whether the market was the actual outcome of the pandemic.
China does not want to allow a further investigation on site. Among other things, the US government accuses Beijing of withholding information from the experts. China accuses the US and other countries of misusing the pandemic and the search for the source of political attacks.
sources: “The Independent“,”The Hill”, DPA
See a video from our archive from June: Images of deserted streets and overcrowded hospitals in Wuhan, China, will go around the world in early 2020. Now 11,000 students are celebrating their graduation here – without masks or distance.