> * Most of the first cases had a direct tie to the market False. Few of the initial cases had any tie to the market. Multiple outlets have reported this from

> * Most of the first cases had a direct tie to the market False. Few of the initial cases had any tie to the market. Multiple outlets have reported this from the beginning, even before the lab theory started circulating here in the US: "However, a study, by Chinese researchers published in the Lancet medical journal, claimed the first person to be diagnosed with Covid-19, was on 1 December 2019 (a lot of earlier) and that person had "no contact" with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. [...] She also said that three other people developed symptoms in the following days – two of whom had no exposure to Huanan either." [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200221-coronavirus-the-harmful-hunt-for-covid-19s-patient-zero https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200221-coronavirus-the-...] > * it happened before with SARS-1 You know what else happened before with SARS-1? https://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_04_23/en/ https://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_04_23/en/ https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/02/content_344755.htm https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/02/content... and then, recently: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-department-cables-warned-safety-issues-wuhan-lab-studying-bat-coronaviruses/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-dep... > * Why would they cover it up by blaming it on the markets? Who knows? They certainly have a record of covering up such stuff. It may have been released by a lab (the Wuhan CDC, who was conducting live bat research on bat coronaviruses with 96% match SARS-Cov-2) that is under control of the provincial authorities, the same ones who we know tried to cover up the initial outbreak. Possibly, Xi Jingping and/or national leadership felt it would just be too much to reveal to the world that not only was there a cover-up, but it was a cover-up of a lab accident under the direct control of the provincial government. After they had been warned by multiple countries about safety issues involving coronavirus research in the nearby BL4 lab. I agree it's possible that the spillover somehow was linked to the market. That said, the spillover likely involved a person who was in close contact with lots of live bats. At this point, it seems most likely this would have occurred at one of the labs studying bat coronaviruses. But it's far from proven.