New findings challenge WHO’s timeline, reigniting the debate over the origins of the pandemic.

The first known case of Covid-19 has been traced to a vendor at a live-animal market in Wuhan, according to a scientist who has analyzed early reports from China. This claim contradicts the timeline presented in an influential World Health Organization (WHO) report, which identified an accountant with no direct link to the Hunan market as the initial case.

This new research supports the theory that the virus originated from wildlife sold at the Wuhan market, rather than leaking from a laboratory, casting doubt on the findings of the joint WHO-China investigation. Michael Worobey, a leading scientist at the University of Arizona, is behind the report, which is expected to reignite the heated debate about the origins of the pandemic.

The debate remains unresolved and continues to strain relations between the US and China, as both countries seek to understand the roots of the global crisis.