Did the coronavirus jump from animals to people twice?

The latest analysis posted on the virological.org discussion forum adds weight to the second possibility by questioning the existence of genomes linking the lineages.

The finding could be the dagger into the heart of the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab, rather than originating from the wildlife trade, says Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. But others say that more research is needed, especially given the limited genomic data from early in the pandemic.

It is a very significant study, says Garry. If you can show that A and B are two separate lineages and there were two spillovers, it all but eliminates the idea that it came from a lab.

via www.nature.com

But there are some problems with this analysis. RTWT.

FWIW nobody would be happier than I if it turns out the ‘rona did come from wet markets, though I very much doubt it. It’s a case of thinking the worst to be true and being glad when you turn out be wrong. Sadly, I’m wrong a lot less often than I would wish.