Loading...
Waiting for the truth: is reluctance in accepting an early origin hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 delaying our understanding of viral emergence?
Canuti, Marta Bianchi, Silvia Kolb, Otto Gori, Maria Fappani, Clara Colzani, Daniela Borghi, Elisa Zuccotti, Gianvincenzo
Canuti, Marta
Bianchi, Silvia
Kolb, Otto
Gori, Maria
Fappani, Clara
Colzani, Daniela
Borghi, Elisa
Zuccotti, Gianvincenzo
Citations
Altmetric:
Genre
Journal article
Date
2022-03-16
Advisor
Committee member
Department
Biology
Subject
Permanent link to this record
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008386
Abstract
Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, key questions about the emergence of its aetiological agent (SARS-CoV-2) remain a matter of considerable debate. Identifying when SARS-CoV-2 began spreading among people is one of those questions. Although the current canonically accepted timeline hypothesises viral emergence in Wuhan, China, in November or December 2019, a growing body of diverse studies provides evidence that the virus may have been spreading worldwide weeks, or even months, prior to that time. However, the hypothesis of earlier SARS-CoV-2 circulation is often dismissed with prejudicial scepticism and experimental studies pointing to early origins are frequently and speculatively attributed to false-positive tests. In this paper, we critically review current evidence that SARS-CoV-2 had been circulating prior to December of 2019, and emphasise how, despite some scientific limitations, this hypothesis should no longer be ignored and considered sufficient to warrant further larger-scale studies to determine its veracity.
Description
Citation
Canuti M, Bianchi S, Kolbl O, et alWaiting for the truth: is reluctance in accepting an early origin hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 delaying our understanding of viral emergence?BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e008386.
Citation to related work
BMJ Publications
Has part
BMJ Global Health, Vol. 7, No. 3
ADA compliance
For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation, including help with reading this content, please contact scholarshare@temple.edu