The seafood market in Wuhan, China, played a role in the outbreak, but more research is needed to determine whether it’s the source of the virus or was an “amplifying setting,” the World Health Organization said, according to Reuters.
WHO officials previously said the coronavirus emerged from a seafood market in Wuhan and likely originated in bats, then jumped to an “intermediate host” before infecting humans. Scientists continue to run tests on various animals but have so far not found the host responsible for the outbreak.
“The market played a role in the event, that’s clear. But what role [was] we don’t know, whether it was the source or amplifying setting or just a coincidence that some cases were detected in and around that market,” said Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO expert on food safety and zoonotic viruses, Reuters reported.
The WHO is in talks with China to send a follow-up mission to the country to investigate the animal source of the virus, a WHO official said Wednesday.
