Origin of SARS-CoV-2

Uncommon card · No. 101364

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been efforts by scientists, governments, and others to determine the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Similar to other outbreaks, the virus was derived from a bat-borne virus and most likely was transmitted to humans via another animal in nature, or during wildlife bushmeat trade such as that in food markets. While other explanations, such as SARS-CoV-2 being accidentally released from a laboratory, have been proposed, they are not supported by evidence. Conspiracy theories about the virus's origin have proliferated widely. Research is ongoing as to whether SARS-CoV-2 came directly from bats or indirectly through an intermediate host, such as pangolins, civets, or raccoon dogs. Genomic sequence evidence indicates the spillover event introducing SARS-CoV-2 to humans likely occurred in late 2019. As with the 2002–2004 SARS-CoV-1 outbreak, efforts to trace the specific geographic and taxonomic origins of SARS-CoV-2 could take years, and...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Alexey Solodovnikov (Idea, Producer, CG, Editor), Valeria Arkhipova (Scientific Сonsultant), CC BY-SA 4.0