Coronavirus DIDN’T start in Wuhan wet market but ‘super spreader’ brought it there, Chinese researchers claim
WUHAN wet market was not the origin of the coronavirus pandemic as previously thought, it's been claimed.
Theorists say a super-spreader visited the Chinese city and sparked the Covid-19 outbreak which swept the world and has killed over 300,000 people.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Genetic evidence showed confirmed the virus originated in Chinese bats before it jumped to humans, but where exactly this happened is unknown.
Originally Chinese authorities said the first cases of the virus emerged at the local seafood market which led to speculation the coronavirus may have made the transition to humans there.
But a new investigation of the animals being sold there has ruled that out.
'NO LINK'
The Chinese Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took samples of the products in the market and found none had Covid-19.
This led to the new theory that someone visiting the market had already contracted COVID-19 and became a super-spreader - giving it to shoppers and venders.
The Chinese CDC concluded "the the wet market was a victim of the virus" rather than the virus being transmitted from animals on sale.
Most of the original 41 virus cases reported to the World Health Organisation in December were linked to the 116 acres market.
Authorities then shut the wet market being shut down on January 1 although the majority of its 3,600 shops had reportedly reopened by April 14.
But it is now thought the virus was circulating in Wuhan before those original 41 cases were first reported.
The Chinese CDC study reveals 13 of the original cases had no link to the wet market at all.
It also concluded the first person confirmed to have coronavirus was likely exposed as early as December 1 before showing symptoms on December 8.
Meanwhile the identity of "patient zero" hasn't been confirmed, but it may have been a 55-year-old man from China's Hubei province who was infected on November 17, according to , which reviewed government documents.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The search for the source of the virus has become more complex since US-China relations have soured following President Trump's claim that the virus originated in a laboratory.
But China has responded to these allegations with its own conspiracy theory asserting that American soldiers may have been responsible for the outbreak.
Despite this, the UK ministers are reportedly "no longer discounting" the possibility the virus escaped from lab.
It comes after landmark scientific study by biologists Yujia Alina Chan and Benjamin Deverman from the Broad Institute carried out the new research alongside Shing Hei Zhan from the University of British Columbia concluded the virus did not come from the market.
They found evidence suggesting the virus was "pre-adapted to human transmission".
On Monday Security Adviser Robert O'Brien compared China's response to the coronavirus pandemic to the Soviet Union's response to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster decades ago.
On April 26, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and caused a massive fire — the worst nuclear accident in the world which spread radiation around the world.
He added that China has been blocks doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from going to China to gather information on the virus.
How Wuhan's Covid-19 outbreak went global
December 1 - The first confirmed onset of symptoms were observed in city of Wuhan, according to the Lancet medical journal, although it is now suspect the virus first appeared some time in November
December 27 - Chinese authorities were informed about a Sars-like disease by a hospital doctor in Hubei province where Wuhan located
December 30 - Dr Li Wenliang warns other doctors via social media of a new virus he has seen at Wuhan Central hospital but is gagged by the Public Security Bureau
December 31 - Chinese officials confirm they were investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia and dispatch a team of health experts as local health authorities silence hospital staff
January 7 - Chinese president President Xi Jinping discuss the outbreak at a politburo meeting, indicating they knew about the virus earlier
January 8 - A team of experts from the National Health Committee identifies a new coronavirus as the cause of the epidemic
January 13 - The first case outside China in Thailand is confirmed as traveller from Wuhan
January 14 - The WHO tweets that "preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission"
January 15 - A patient returns to the US from Wuhan and becomes the first known US case
January 20 - China confirm human-to-human transmission of the virus
January 23 - Wuhan (and nearby cities) are put under lockdown
January 23-25 - Construction workers start building two new hospitals in Wuhan from scratch
January 24-30 - Millions of people travel across the country to celebrates the Lunar New Year
January 30 - The WHO declares Covid-19 a Public Health Emergency of Global Concern following 82 confirmed cases outside China
March 11 - The Who declares a pandemic
May 29 - More than 360,000 dead worldwide although many more were expected to die in the coming weeks and months
More to follow...
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click , for Android click .
Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at .