The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic

Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)emerged in 2019 is critical to preventing zoonotic outbreaks before they become the next pandemic.The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan,China,was identified as a likely source of cases in early reports but later this conclusion became controversial.We show the earliest known COVID-19 cases from December 2019,including those without reported direct links,were geographically centered on this market.We report that live SARS-CoV-2 susceptible mammals were sold at the market in late 2019 and,within the market,SARS-CoV-2-positive environmental samples were spatially associated with vendors selling live mammals.