Is there any evidence that bats or pangolins were sold in the wet markets of Wuhan, China during the run up to the Covid-19 outbreak?
Correct Answer
From the beginning of the C-19 outbreak, numerous "experts" and media outlets have claimed that C-19 likely emerged from a wet market in Wuhan, China via a bat and/or pangolin. For example, CBS reported in Feb. 2020: "Experts say meat sold at wild animal markets in Wuhan is likely the culprit," and "infectious disease expert Dr. Ian Lipkin" stated that such markets create "a superhighway for viruses to go from the wild into people" via creatures like "a bat." On 6/7/21, the journal Nature published the results of an extensive survey of all Wuhan wet markets from May 2017 to Nov 2019 as C-19 emerged. It documented 47,381 animals from 38 species and found that "no pangolin or bat species were among these animals for sale." The study's authors noted that "vendors freely disclosed a variety of protected species on sale illegally in their shops," and "so we are confident this list is complete."
DocumentationNature PaperCBS ArticleOther False Claims