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Fish stall in the market in Wuhan
Photo: NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP
Almost two years have passed since the coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
The riddle about the origin of the pathogen has still not been fully resolved.
New evidence now supports the thesis that the virus has spread to humans on the animal market in the metropolis.
The renowned biologist Michael Worobey from the University of Arizona traces the events in Wuhan chronologically in a study published in Science.
Accordingly, the first person to contract Covid-19 was a seafood trader and not, as previously generally assumed, an accountant with no connection to the market.
Inaccuracy in WHO time table
The accountant did not experience the symptoms until December 16, 2019, five days later than the market seller.
"His illness came off the market after several cases," according to the study.
The previous timeline for the outbreak of the pathogen, which goes back to an investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO), was therefore incorrect.
Worobey, who specializes in virus tracing, encountered contradictions when he compared previously known data from hospitals, studies and video interviews with one another.
According to this, the accountant could have accidentally been identified as the first patient because he was given antibiotics and felt feverish after a visit to the dentist.
Most of the early patients had a connection with the market.
"In this city of 11 million people, half of the early cases are associated with a location the size of a soccer field," Worobey told the New York Times.
"It becomes very difficult to explain this pattern if the outbreak hasn't started in the market."
Incorrect chronology fueled the laboratory accident thesis
The months of speculation that the virus outbreak could also be a laboratory accident had also been fueled by the commitment to the accountant as the first documented patient.
To this day, the question of the exact origin has led to tensions between China and other countries, as the government in Beijing is not very cooperative.
The WHO had found in their on-site investigation that the laboratory theory is unlikely.
She believes with great certainty that the virus infected humans naturally, arguably through the wildlife trade.
However, the difficult cooperation between WHO experts and China, errors in the official report and later intelligence reports by the US administration under Donald Trump aroused doubts in some.
Michael Worobey, the author of the new study, was one of the scientists who criticized the WHO report and wanted to investigate the laboratory accident thesis further.
After his own analysis of the data, he now believes it is very likely that the pandemic began in the market.
However, further investigations are necessary in order to finally solve the riddle.
fww / AFP / rtr
