Wuhan seafood vendor was 1st Covid-19 case in world

A new study published in the journal Science has claimed that the first identified Covid19 case or patient zero was a female seafood vendor at an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan who became symptomatic on December 11 2019The peerreviewed study contradicts earlier reported findings that the first Covid patient was a 41yearold male accountant who lived 30 km south of Huanan Market and reported his illness on December 8However when interviewed the accountant reported that his Covid symptoms started with a fever on December 16 and the December 8 illness was a dental problem related to baby teeth retained into adulthoodThis indicates that he was infected through community transmission after the virus had begun spreading from Huanan Market He believed that he may have been infected in a hospital presumably during his dental emergency or on the subway during his commute said Michael Worobey University of Arizona evolutionary virologist in the articleThe accountant had also travelled north of Huanan Market shortly before his symptoms beganHis symptom onset came after multiple cases in workers at Huanan Market making a female seafood vendor there the earliest known case with illness onset December 11Notably she reported knowledge of several possible Covid19 cases in clinics and hospitals that were near Huanan Market from December 11 and Huanan Market patients were hospitalised at Union Hospital as early as December 10 Worobey saidIt is now clear that live mammals susceptible to coronaviruses including raccoon dogs were sold at Huanan Market and three other liveanimal markets in Wuhan before the pandemicSevere acute respiratory syndromerelated coronaviruses were found in raccoon dogs during the SARS outbreak which was facilitated by animaltohuman contact in liveanimal markets in ChinaHowever because of the early public health focus on Huanan Market it remains unclear whether the apparent preponderance of hospitalised Covid19 cases associated with this market was truly reflective of the initial outbreak said Michael Worobey University of Arizona evolutionary virologist and a specialist in the origins of viral epidemicsWith SARS liveanimal markets continued to sell infected animals for many months allowing zoonotic spillover to be established as the origin and revealing multiple independent jumps from animals into humansUnfortunately no live mammal collected at Huanan Market or any other liveanimal market in Wuhan has been screened for SARSCoV2related viruses and Huanan Market was closed and disinfected on January 1 2020 the study notedNevertheless that most early symptomatic cases were linked to Huanan Market specifically to the western section where raccoon dogs were caged provides strong evidence of a liveanimal market origin of the pandemic the study notedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever