MAHMOUD BENNETT:

THERE’S BEEN NO SHORTAGE OF REPORTS, THEORIES, AND STUDIES ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF COVID19 – NOW 3 YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC- NEW DATA SUGGESTS RACOON DOGS MAY HAVE HAD THE VIRUS VERY EARLY ON

IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A RACOON DOG – YOU ARE NOT ALONE:

THESE FLUFFY CREATURES CLOSELY RELATED TO FOXES ARE NATIVE TO EAST ASIA — AND ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM THE ATLANTIC, GENETIC SAMPLES COLLECTED BY AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF VIRUS EXPERTS JUST FOUND GENETIC TRACES OF THE ANIMAL IN SWABS TAKEN FROM AND AROUND THE NOTORIOUS WUHAN SEAFOOD WET MARKET IN EARLY 2020

THEY SAY IT’S EVIDENCE THE RACCOON DOGS MAY HAVE BEEN “CARRYING AND POSSIBLY SHEDDING THE VIRUS AT THE END OF 2019 – NOTING THE ANIMALS WERE BEING SOLD THERE AS PART OF THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

WHILE RESEARCHERS NOTE THE FINDINGS DID NOT DEFINITIVELY CONCLUDE RACCOON DOGS CARRIED THE VIRUS OR EVEN PASSED IT ONTO HUMANS- THEY DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT OTHER ANIMALS AT THE WET MARKET HAD THE VIRUS

LAST MONTH VARIOUS U.S. AGENCIES CONCLUDED WITH QUOTE LOW CONFIDENCE COVID-19 ORIGINATED IN A LAB – SOMETHING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS VEHEMENTLY DENIED