The rumors about the origins of novel coronavirus abound. Some have suggested that the virus originated in a United States military lab, or that it was created in an American-backed scientific research university in China.
According to researchers who are studying the spread of the virus, however, the consensus is that COVID-19 actually originated in a live animal market in Wuhan, China (Hubei province). The research suggests that the virus originated in bats and was then transferred to humans through another yet-unidentified animal.