New Covid-19 origin research points to raccoon dogs in China market

International scientists who examined previously unavailable genetic data from samples collected at a market close to where the first human cases of Covid-19 were detected in China said they found suggestions the pandemic originated from animals, not a lab (Chika Tsukumo/AP/PA)

Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of Covid-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA co-mingled with the virus, suggesting the pandemic may have originated from animals, not a lab, international experts say.

Other experts have not yet verified their analysis, which has yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal. How the coronavirus began affecting people remains uncertain. The sequences will have to be matched to the genetic record of how the virus evolved to see which came first.