Coronavirus did not originate in Wuhan seafood market, Chinese scientists say
- Analysis of genomic data from 93 samples of the novel coronavirus suggests it was imported from elsewhere
- The busy market then boosted its circulation and spread it to the whole city, research shows
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was instead imported from elsewhere, said researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research.
The team, led by Dr Yu Wenbin, sequenced the genomic data of 93 SARS-CoV-2 samples provided by 12 countries in a bid to track down the source of the infection and understand how it spreads.
What they found was that while the virus had spread rapidly within the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, there had also been two major population expansions on December 8 and January 6.
According to the study, which was published on the institute’s website on Thursday, analysis suggested that the coronavirus was introduced from outside the market.
“The crowded market then boosted SARS-CoV-2 circulation and spread it to the whole city in early December 2019,” it said.