…and to think it all happened in the Huanan Seafood Market

Northern Star

…and to think it all happened in the Huanan Seafood Market

Three new studies offer an indisputable conclusion regarding the origin of SARS-CoV-2. The Chinese government has not been transparent, and data has surfaced that can shed light on the pandemic’s greatest mystery. Did COVID-19 originate at the Huanan Seafood Market? Three new studies have built a solid case that COVID-19 did originate in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China. These new analyses have undercut theories that the virus “somehow” escaped, and all basically reach the same conclusions. Two of the international studies maintain that SARS-CoV-2 jumped to people from infected animals. The third study suggests the virus was somehow covertly imported into Wuhan, China. The studies are all posted as preprints and are not yet peer reviewed, yet biosecurity experts, scientist, journalists, and epidemiologist nationally are intensely examining the details. The lab-leak hypothesis is falling apart as more studies substantially move the needle of the origin to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China. “Together, these analyses provide dispositive evidence for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 via the live wildlife trade and identify the Huanan market as the unambiguous epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic,” (Cohen, 2022)

The three basic uses of epidemiology as they relate to the Covid – 19 pandemics would have described the disease occurrence, identifying the causes of disease (agent), and to find factors that increase a person’s risk of disease (host) within the environment. A well-understood disease has 4 basic elements. Homogeneous set of signs and symptoms, knowledge of the etiology, appreciation of the natural history, and treatment derived from 2 and 3. A key part of the scientific method is creating a testable explanation which is a star pillar of the scientific method. Covid-19 pandemic scientists asked the question where did Covid come from and what is the host? The hypothesis notated that it was found in bats and the origin was unknown. Upon testing the hypothesis and data analysis the conclusion was drawn that this is false and that Covid was a man-made weapon formed in Wuhan. The communication of the results and origin are greatly debated, but open debate can foster communication among scientists, scientific communities, and the public alike. Scientific methodology is a commonsense way of looking at the world and defining our understanding of it. Utilizing observation, reason, and explanation other scientist have closely observed the point of prevalence, measure of frequency, and prevalence of the disease to determine subtle viral differences found in people at the Huanan Seafood Market in 2019. They hypothesized that the virus jumped twice from animals to humans. Other studies link geospatial pinpoints to the market as an “epicenter” showcasing lineages infected of people with links to the market or who lived nearby. It also connected specific stalls to environmental samples that tested positive for the virus, others agree with the wet market theory “the virus began in bats and then spread to other animals in the area of Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, before eventually infecting people, Other coronavirus outbreaks, especially SARS and MERS, reinforce the wet market theory” (Terry, 2013) Together, they seemingly provide a disposition for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. The Chinese-led study spent two years documenting tick and fever disease in mammals for sale at a specific stall in the market. Pinpointing the first time where species susceptible to SARS-CoV-2— were sold. Among the species were dogs, red foxes, hedgehogs, bamboo rats, raccoon, badgers, and the maps determined those sites to have positive SARS-CoV-2 environmental affiliation. Virologist Jeremy Kahil of Louisiana State University Health Shreveport stated, “The studies don’t exclude other hypotheses entirely, but they absolutely are pushing it toward an animal origin.” Jeremy nor Terry were involved in these studies adding a welcomed unbiased viewpoints. Many are interested in these studies as this was an evolutionary pandemic and many criticized colleagues and dismissed a lab-origin hypothesis. Nine months after the World Health Organization declared that the Covid – 19 health crisis was a pandemic a new investigation reveals that China’s wet markets are still open and in operation. These markets are where animals are slaughtered and sold to customers who desire freshly killed animal flesh, and where scientists believe Covid – 19 originated. “We analyzed a leaked report from the Chinese CDC detailing the results of this environmental sampling. Virtually all the findings in the report matched what was in the World Health Organization’s report. But there was some extra information in the leaked report. For example, there was information not just on which stalls had virus in them — or had samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 — but also how many samples in each stall yielded positive results.” (Woodward, 2020)

The well-understood disease elements determined that the homogeneous set of signs and symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have Covid – 19: Fever or chills cough shortness of breath or difficulty breathing fatigue muscle or body aches headache new loss of taste or smell sore throat congestion or runny nose nausea or vomiting diarrhea. The knowledge of the etiology is that Covid – 19 likely originated in bats or pangolins and that the first transmission to humans was in Wuhan, China. Since then, the virus has mostly spread through person-to-person contact. The appreciation of the natural history despite intense research and current knowledge has been limited and suppressed due to government and media agendas. There is no effective vaccine available against SARS-CoV-2. The natural history of its emergence in late 2019 was of an infectious communicable disease causing major public health and clinical management challenges. We do not know if someone has natural resistance, natural immunity, or otherwise. Treatment derived is azithromycin macrocyclic lactone antibiotic azithromycin which has been shown to have in vitro activity against Zika and Ebola viruses. Chloroquine is an old drug that has been used worldwide as anti-malarial as well as treatment of immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus. Ivermectin is best known as an antiparasitic agent sold with the commercial name STROMECTOL® but it has also demonstrated antiviral activities toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and dengue virus. 

There is a strong association between Covid – 19 and Wuhan, China where the first transmission to humans was observed. Since then, the virus has mostly spread through person-to-person contact and in mass associations. Covid – 19 had limited data integration during the Covid – 19 pandemics, as such the roles in consistency to support causal relationships have been tarnished and are nearly nonexistent. Covid – 19 associations were not likely to be causal as they were not specific, and the exposure caused many diseases and different strain were likewise notated. Covid – 19 exposure disease relationship is causal as exposure is preceded prior to the onset of Covid – 19. The Covid – 19 virus is increased upon exposure and results in increased incidence of disease and provides clear evidence of causal relationship. Researchers understand that Covid – 19 disease outcomes have not resulted from interplay and balance between multiple contributing and intermediary factors. As such, demonstrating the biological plausibility of Covid – 19 has been politically complex and science has been utilized to cover up various charades at play. The body of epidemiologic literature regarding Covid – 19 is bias, limited, conflicting, and makes no sense particularly regarding vaccination. Covid – 19 had data from varied evidence streams and interpretation was vastly impacted. Bats is a strong causal agent to the Covid – 19 viruses. My analysis is therefore determined to be Wuhan China was the epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2 emergence where bats were sold as a food source. The virus agent is believed to be a bat that had originated from The Huanan Market in Wuhan China. “Animal Equality points to research that warns that the abusive and unhygienic handling and transportation of animals cause them high levels of stress, which leads to the deterioration of their immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases. That reality and the close contact humans have with animals in wet markets during slaughter and sale increases the probability of another pandemic-type virus emerging like Covid – 19 or SARS—both zoonotic diseases originating in wet markets. Scientific consensus finds that these markets are the perfect breeding ground for zoonosis, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75% of all new or emerging diseases in humans come from animals.” (Animal Equality, 2021)

…and to think it all happened in the Huanan Seafood Market

References

Do three new studies add up to proof of covid-19’s origin in a Wuhan animal market … (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.science.org/content/article/do-three-new-studies-add-proof-covid-19-s-origin-wuhan-animal-market 

Investigation: Wet markets in China continue to operate. Animal Equality | International Animal Protection Organization. (2021, March 26). Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://animalequality.org/news/investigation-wet-markets-in-china-continue-to-operate/ 

Macera, C. A., Shaffer, R., & Shaffer, P. M. (2012). Introduction to Epidemiology: Distribution and Determinants of Disease (Public Health Basics) (1st ed.). Cengage Learning.

Pekar, J. E., Magee, A., Parker, E., Moshiri, N., Izhikevich, K., Havens, J. L., Gangavarapu, K., Malpica Serrano, L. M., Crits-Christoph, A., Matteson, N. L., Zeller, M., Levy, J. I., Wang, J. C., Hughes, S., Lee, J., Park, H., Park, M.-S., Ching Zi Yan, K., Tzer Pin Lin, R., … Wertheim, J. O. (2022, February 26). SARS-COV-2 emergence very likely resulted from at least two zoonotic events. Zenodo. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://zenodo.org/record/6291628#.YlLN3S2ZOqA 

Surveillance of SARS-COV-2 in the environment and animal samples of the Huanan Seafood Market. Home. (2022, February 25). Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1370392/v1 

Terry, M. (2022, February 28). New studies support Wuhan wet market as origin of COVID-19. BioSpace. https://www.biospace.com/article/new-studies-support-wuhan-wet-market-as-origin-of-covid-19/

Woodward, A. (2020, February 26). Both the new coronavirus and SARS outbreaks likely started in Chinese ‘wet markets.’ historic photos show what the markets looked like. Business Insider. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-chinese-wet-market-photos-2020-1#a-january-report-challenged-the-idea-that-virus-emerged-in-the-huanan-wet-market-however-3 

Worobey, M., Levy, J. I., Serrano, L. M. M., Crits-Christoph, A., Pekar, J. E., Goldstein, S. A., Rasmussen, A. L., Kraemer, M. U. G., Newman, C., Koopmans, M. P. G., Suchard, M. A., Wertheim, J. O., Lemey, P., Robertson, D. L., Garry, R. F., Holmes, E. C., Rambaut, A., & Andersen, K. G. (2022, February 26). The huanan market was the epicenter of SARS-COV-2 emergence. Zenodo. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://zenodo.org/record/6299116#.YlLQmi2ZOqC