Lab leak vs spillover: Origin of COVID-19
June 2023
Where did SARS-CoV-2 come from?
SARS-CoV-2 is the formal name of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A key question about the pandemic remains, where did it come from / how did it get into people? It’s no surprise that new human viruses appear. Emerging viruses are a known threat because it has happened many times in the past. For various reasons, the rate at which new viruses jump into humans may be increasing. For this virus in particular, the path to pandemic started in China but the origin story is clouded in mystery. Some of that mystery is inherent to the challenge of scientific detective work. Some of it is due to obstruction and obfuscation by local authorities.
Roughly, the two main possibilities are:
1. Wuhan market: SARS-CoV-2 existed in an animal reservoir, possibly a bat species. The virus either mutated or got an opportunity to infect another mammal species. From that mammal species, the virus entered humans-possibly at the Wuhan live animal market.
2. Lab Leak: SARS-CoV-2 existed in a virology lab in Wuhan, China, and accidentally infected a person or persons at or near the lab. The virus might have been part of a collection of natural viruses harvested and brought to Wuhan for research, or it might have been genetically…
