A Brief History Of The COVID-19 Virus

It seems as if the moment the world became aware of COVID-19, it was already way too late, and it had already become a global pandemic. Many have asked how this happened, why control systems did not catch it sooner, and why word was not spread quicker about the situation.

Take a look at the history of how the virus started, and a few theories about how it originated. Keep in mind that with a virus of this type, it is extremely difficult to understand the exactly how first infection occurred.

The Beginning

On the 31^st of December 2019 the World Health Organisation was first informed of a handful of cases of a pneumonia in Wuhan City. This was reason for concern due to the densely packed population of Wuhan City, which is officially home to around 11 million people. The area is also an economic hub of China, which means that a great many travellers are moving in and out of the city on a regular basis. In other words; Wuhan City is a prime spot for a health crisis to develop.

A second report emerged that 59 cases of the pneumonia were confirmed, on January 5^th, but none had yet proved to be fatal.

The situation then escalated quickly. 10 days later it broke that the number had now jumped to 282 cases. 4 of the confirmed cases were reported to be in Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. But far more concerning was the information that there had been a total of 6 fatalities, plus 51 patients being severely ill, and a further 12 were considered to be in a critical condition.

On the 12^th of January the virus responsible was isolated, and the genome shared. The virus was referred to as COVID-19, a novel coronavirus form. Importantly; COVID-19 is a novel version of the previously encountered SARS.

Where Did It Originate?

Most of us have now settled into lockdowns of various levels, and are happy to play now online to pass the time. But where, exactly, did COVID-19 actually originate?

There have been many theories and investigations into the origins of the virus, but it is currently not known where it was first passed to humans. It was strongly suggested that the virus may come from a nocturnal anteater, imported into China for its flesh. The animal carries a coronavirus that is extremely similar to SARS. Suggestions are that the virus may have passed form the animal to a human, and mutated as it jumped from host to host, eventually becoming COVID-19.

George Gao, the director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, went on record to declare that the source of COVID-19 was very likely to be the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which is known for selling fresh seafood along with live animals. However, upon samples being collected from the market, no trace of the virus was found.

This suggest that an event occurred prior to the outbreak first detected in Wuhan, though this is yet to be properly confirmed.