The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan?

[Opti]

Word on the street is that it was a pangolin called Dennis.

[Herainestold]

It went from bats to an intermediate animal host and then to humans in the wet market.

It seems that we still haven't figured out what animal served as the intermediate host.

Unless I missed that somewhere which is quite possible.

[Bird on a Fire]

It went from bats to an intermediate animal host and then to humans in the wet market.

It seems that we still haven't figured out what animal served as the intermediate host.

Unless I missed that somewhere which is quite possible.

Raccoon dogs seem a strong contender. They're a known SARS-CoV reservoir, and the earliest cases were apparently in an area of the market selling them. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science ... e-pointing

Unlikely we'll ever know for sure, as China is keeping the environmental samples hushed up.

It's a bit concerning, as raccoon dogs are farmed (for fur), meaning this isn't simply a case of people eating funky exotic wildlife: it's the interaction of funky exotic wildlife with poor animal husbandry, which is much commoner (and growing) on a global scale.

[Herainestold]

The next step would be to trace the provenance of the racoon dogs and try to find the location where they were infected by bats.

[Bird on a Fire]

I'd be surprised if China hasn't already done so.