Study says the first presumed case of Covid in Wuhan dates back a few days

In an article published in the prestigious Science magazine, a senior scientist said that the case of Covid-19 identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which was presented as the first by the WHO report, actually dates back a few days.

So instead of coming into contact with a man who had never been to an animal market in Wuhan, the first case is that of a saleswoman who worked there, according to virologist Michael Woroby.

Worubi said that this data, combined with an analysis of the city’s first Covid-19 cases, clearly tip the scales toward an animal origin for the virus. Since the beginning of the epidemic, experts have debated the origin of the virus, in the absence of conclusive evidence.

Worobey himself belongs to a group of 15 experts who published an article in Science in mid-May asking for a serious study of the leak hypothesis from a laboratory in Wuhan.

He noted that his research now “provides strong evidence in favor of the origins of the epidemic from a live animal” in that market.

He added that one criticism of this theory was based on the following argument: As health authorities warned of suspected cases of a market-related disease as of December 30, 2019, a bias was introduced that led to the identification of more cases. In that place the most, focusing on him.

To get around this bias, Worobey analyzed cases reported by two hospitals before issuing the warning. However, these cases are closely related to the market, and those that are not around it.

“In this city of 11 million people, half of the first cases are associated with a place the size of a football field,” Worubi said in an interview with the New York Times. “It is very difficult to explain this trend if the epidemic does not start in this market.”

Another criticism was based on the fact that the first case identified was not market related. But while the WHO report said he had been ill since December 8, in fact it wasn’t until December 16, according to the researcher.

This conclusion derives from a video interview found, a condition described in a scientific article and a hospital medical record consistent with this 41-year-old man.

Thus, the first known case is that of a sick woman on December 11th, a market seller.

In response to a question from the New York Times, Peter Daszak, who was among the experts the WHO sent to Wuhan in January 2021, admitted that “the December 8 date was a mistake.”