Covid origins finally uncovered for the first time by scientists in landmark research

The research points to the Wuhan "wet market" as the starting point of the pandemic, with genetic samples taken from animals sold there in 2019 showing traces of the virus in certain species.

A major international study has claimed that the coronavirus originated in a "wet market" with infected animals, debunking the widely circulated theory that Covid-19 leaked from a lab.

The research points to the Wuhan "wet market" as the starting point of the pandemic, with genetic samples taken from animals sold there in 2019 showing traces of the virus in certain species.

Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research, an author of the study, stated: "This adds another layer to the accumulating evidence that all points to the same scenario: that infected animals were introduced into the market in mid to late November 2019, which sparked the pandemic."

For the first time, researchers believe they have identified the animals that could have transmitted the virus to humans, with the raccoon dog being highlighted as a likely culprit

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Other species such as masked palm civets, hoary bamboo rats, and Malayan porcupines were also found to be carriers of Covid-19 prior to human infection, reports the Mirror.

However, Florence Debarre from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, who led the study, noted that this is not an exhaustive list, as many potential carrier species had been removed from the market before Chinese health officials could investigate.

The scientists have pinpointed that many of the initial cases in Wuhan, home to 12 million people, were market workers. The origins of the pandemic, which has claimed seven million lives worldwide and over 200,000 in the UK, have been hotly debated.

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An alternative hypothesis suggests the outbreak was due to a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology labs. This gained credibility when FBI Director Christopher Wray stated the agency believes Covid-19 "most likely" came from a "Chinese government-controlled lab".

Despite President Biden's efforts to investigate the lab leak theory, it remains unproven. However, following a new study based on data from the Chinese CDC, scientists are now more confident that the pandemic began at the market, as initially reported.

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