The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019 is critical to preventing future zoonotic outbreaks before they become the next pandemic. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, was identified as a likely source of cases in early reports, but later this conclusion became controversial. We show here that the earliest known COVID-19 cases from December 2019, including those without reported direct links, were geographically centered on this market. We report that live SARS-CoV-2-susceptible mammals were sold at the market in late 2019 and that within the market, SARS-CoV-2-positive environmental samples were spatially associated with vendors selling live mammals. Although there is insufficient evidence to define upstream events, and

SUBMITTER: Worobey M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9348750 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature