The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic

Worobey, Michael; Levy, Joshua I.; Serrano, Lorena M. Malpica; Crits‐Christoph, Alexander; Pekar, Jonathan E.; Goldstein, Stephen A.; Rasmussen, Angela L.; Kraemer, Moritz U. G.; Newman, Chris; Koopmans, Marion; Suchard, Marc A.; Wertheim, Joel O.; Lemey, Philippe; Robertson, David L.; Garry, Robert F.; Holmes, Edward C.; Rambaut, Andrew; Andersen, Kristian G.

doi:10.1126/science.abp8715

articleScienceJul 26, 2022HYBRID OA

The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic

MWMichael Worobey JIJoshua I. Levy LMLorena M. Malpica Serrano ACAlexander Crits‐Christoph JEJonathan E. Pekar

University of Arizona · Scripps Research Institute · +20 more institutions

PubMed

Indexed incrossrefdatacitepubmed

Abstract

Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019 is critical to preventing future zoonotic outbreaks before they become the next pandemic. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, was identified as a likely source of cases in early reports, but later this conclusion became controversial. We show here that the earliest known COVID-19 cases from December 2019, including those without reported direct links, were geographically centered on this market. We report that live SARS-CoV-2-susceptible mammals were sold at the market in late 2019 and that within the market, SARS-CoV-2-positive environmental samples were spatially associated with vendors selling…

Citation impact

429

total citations

FWCI: 113.70
Percentile: 100%
References: 63

Citations per year

Authors

18

Topics & keywords

Topics

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts96%

Keywords

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Pandemic
Epicenter
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Business
Outbreak
Virology

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Good health and well-being

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