New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market

Tonight, new evidence that COVID-19 may have originated from natural animal to human transmission. After new analysis suggests a link from the virus to raccoon dogs at China's Wuhan market. This is another big brick and a huge wall of evidence pointing to this market as the epicenter and to wildlife as the source of this pandemic. The findings first reported by the Atlantic after researcher Michael Warby and a group of scientists analyzed new data uploaded just days ago into a global database by researchers at China's CDC. That data including swab samples taken in and around Wuhan market back in January of 2020. We found some pretty interesting things including raccoon dog and other mammal DNA and samples that have SARS-CoV-2. The preliminary findings and data not yet published or peer reviewed.

Tonight, the WHO and experts say the findings are strong evidence but do not prove conclusively raccoon dogs transmitted the virus to humans or had COVID-19 themselves. This data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began. The news coming amid fierce debate over where the virus came from. The Department of Energy now joining the FBI saying with low confidence they suspect the pandemic most likely started with a lab leak in China. This is raising questions again about transparency when it comes to the origins of COVID. Chinese researchers reportedly uploaded that data but for some reason took it down after that international team was able to analyze it. The WHO is now calling for China to share any and all information relating to COVID-19 and its origin.

Stephanie Ramos, ABC News, New York.

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