International researchers have confirmed that data related to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was briefly published by Chinese scientists on a database, provides information about the origins of the pandemic, including indications of the role of raccoon dogs in the transmission of the coronavirus to humans. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with many suspecting that a live animal market played a role before it spread worldwide and has since killed nearly seven million people.
International researchers released a draft report yesterday based on their interpretation of the data after leaks of their findings to the media last week and a meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) that included Chinese and international scientists. The WHO urged China to release more information. The researchers indicated that the data included new sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and additional genetic data based on samples taken from the Huanan market in Wuhan in 2020.
They noted that the sequences showed that raccoon dogs and other animals highly susceptible to the coronavirus were present at the market and may have been infected, providing new evidence in the transmission chain that eventually reached humans. According to the report, "This strengthens the body of evidence identifying the Huanan market as the site of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention uploaded the data to the global database of pathogens, GISAID, for inclusion in a scientific paper set to be published in a major journal. The report by the international researchers stated that as of March 11, access to that data is no longer available. GISAID stated in a statement that the data was "temporarily invisible" during updates prior to the publication process, in line with standard procedures.
