Deleted gene sequences confirm coronavirus circulated before Wuhan seafood market

The virus that causes COVID-19 did not originate at the Wuhan seafood market, confirms a new study of deleted gene sequences from the virus’ earliest days.

The sequences had been posted to a website run by the National Institutes of Health, but were removed for unknown reasons.

Finding earlier sequences like these might help reveal new insights into the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ earliest days, said Jesse Bloom, the article’s author, who studies viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.