New data links raccoon dogs to early spread of COVID-19

Mar 17, 2023

Mahmoud Bennett Social Media Producer/Reporter

By Mahmoud Bennett (Social Media Producer/Reporter)

As the world marks three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, reports and theories about the origins of the virus continue to garner international attention. A new report suggests that raccoon dogs, a fox-like creature native to East Asia, may have played a role in the early spread of the virus.

According to a summary of findings first reported by The Atlantic, an international team of virus experts collected swab samples from and around the Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market at the start of the pandemic in early 2020, shortly after the Chinese authorities had shut down the market.

The samples contained genetic traces of raccoon dogs, leading researchers to suspect that the animals may have been “carrying and possibly shedding the virus” as early as the end of 2019.

While the findings did not definitively conclude that raccoon dogs carried the virus or passed it on to humans, they did not rule out the possibility that other animals at the wet market could have been infected.

In February, various U.S. agencies concluded with “low confidence” that COVID-19 originated in a lab. The Chinese government continues to deny the claims.

Tags: China, COVID-19, Pandemic, Wuhan

MAHMOUD BENNETT:

THERE’S BEEN NO SHORTAGE OF REPORTS, THEORIES, AND STUDIES ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF COVID19 – NOW 3 YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC- NEW DATA SUGGESTS RACOON DOGS MAY HAVE HAD THE VIRUS VERY EARLY ON

IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A RACOON DOG – YOU ARE NOT ALONE:

THESE FLUFFY CREATURES CLOSELY RELATED TO FOXES ARE NATIVE TO EAST ASIA — AND ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM THE ATLANTIC, GENETIC SAMPLES COLLECTED BY AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF VIRUS EXPERTS JUST FOUND GENETIC TRACES OF THE ANIMAL IN SWABS TAKEN FROM AND AROUND THE NOTORIOUS WUHAN SEAFOOD WET MARKET IN EARLY 2020

THEY SAY IT’S EVIDENCE THE RACCOON DOGS MAY HAVE BEEN “CARRYING AND POSSIBLY SHEDDING THE VIRUS AT THE END OF 2019 – NOTING THE ANIMALS WERE BEING SOLD THERE AS PART OF THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

WHILE RESEARCHERS NOTE THE FINDINGS DID NOT DEFINITIVELY CONCLUDE RACCOON DOGS CARRIED THE VIRUS OR EVEN PASSED IT ONTO HUMANS- THEY DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT OTHER ANIMALS AT THE WET MARKET HAD THE VIRUS

LAST MONTH VARIOUS U.S. AGENCIES CONCLUDED WITH QUOTE LOW CONFIDENCE COVID-19 ORIGINATED IN A LAB – SOMETHING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS VEHEMENTLY DENIED