IT IS POSSIBLEthat the chain of infections which spreadSARS-CoV-2 around the world began, as most new diseases do, when an animal virus found its way unaided into humans, whether in field or farm, cave or market. It is also possible that the chain began in a Chinese government laboratory. These two possibilities have been recognised by many of those studying the covid-19 pandemic for a long time. But the fact that two things are both possible does not mean they are equally likely.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Possible, but far from proven”
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