Bats or rats were not the reason for the havoc of Corona! The name of this animal came in the research, everyone was surprised
Corona virus engulfed the whole world. Lakhs of people died. For three years, the team of scientists has been finding out from where this virus originated and how it spread. Now success has been achieved in this. By the end of 2019, the name of Corona started being heard in China, but the first case in India came on 30 January 2020. After that it spread like a wild fire. Since then a debate is going on as to where this virus came from. How did it originate? Experts blamed China’s Wuhan lab for this but China denied it outright. Even the experts did not have solid evidence. After three years, some success has been achieved in this. This virus is not spread by bats, rats but by raccoon dogs. The origin of the Covid pandemic has puzzled researchers for a very long time. A report in The New York Times states that an international team of experts found evidence that the coronavirus infection can be spread by raccoon dogs. These dogs were being sold illegally in a seafood market in Wuhan, China.
Swab was collected in 2020
The report states that the researchers collected genetic data form swabs from the Hunan Seafood Wholesale Market and nearby areas in 2020. After this, their swabs were tested in the lab. Most of the swabs were infected. The report states that swabs were taken from the floors, walls, carts and cages used to transport the animals.
These samples were found infected
The analysis found that the samples were infected with a virus that contained genetic material from other animals, including raccoon dogs. Even though this does not confirm that raccoon dogs were infected or that they transmitted the virus to humans. Research has said that the virus is spread by wild animals.
A team of three researchers did the research
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist who was part of the research, told The Atlantic that this is a really strong indication that the animals in the market were infected with the virus. Other than that there is no other explanation that makes sense in any way. The research was led by three researchers, Christian Andersen, Michael Verbe and Edward Holmes. The report and data were posted by GISAID, an open-access genomic database. After this, scientists from North America, Australia and Europe downloaded and analyzed it. The Chinese had already tested the samples and said there was no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 being present in any animal.
