Genetic Evidence Indicates SARS-CoV-2 Most Likely Originated With Natural Spillover From Animal Or Animals Sold In Wuhan Market, Researchers Say

The Washington Post (9/19, Achenbach) reports researchers published findings in Cell on Thursday “saying genetic evidence indicates the coronavirus pandemic most likely originated with a natural spillover from an animal or animals sold in a market in Wuhan, China.” The new paper “bolsters the natural spillover theory, but it does not rule out other origins.” The report also “is familiar territory,” with “many of the 23 authors of the paper...known to have long supported a market origin for the virus.” Still, one “significant element” in the report is genetic evidence pointing “to mid-November 2019 as the most likely time the virus spilled into humans and began spreading, and there could have been two or more spillover events, the researchers said.” The AP (9/19, Cheng) says the study “included 800 samples of genetic material Chinese workers collected on Jan. 1, 2020 from the Huanan seafood market,” and researchers in the study “used a technique that can identify specific organisms from any mixture of genetic material collected in the environment.” CNN (9/19, Goodman) reports researchers also conducted “an evolutionary analysis, a technique that helps them estimate when a virus first emerged and what its closest genetic relation might be.”