An analysis of genetic samples from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, identified wild animals likely to be the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The study re-analyzed data from 800 samples collected at the market by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention starting on 1 January 2020.

Evidence was found for a variety of wildlife being sold at the market, including common raccoon dogs, masked palm civets, and hoary bamboo rats, in the same stalls as SARS-CoV-2.

The study concluded it is more likely that the virus emerged from wild animals sold at the market rather than from a lab escape.

The genetic studies of the virus in the earliest covid-19 cases revealed that few, if any, people were infected prior to the market outbreak.