How the Covid-19 pandemic began

Conspiracies have run wild about the origin of Coronavirus, but experts believe it is most likely that the virus originated from bats. SARS and Covid-19 are diseases that have crossed from other species into humans. This is not uncommon. However, with these particular diseases, the wet markets in China seem to have been the catalyst to this process.

We decode how wet markets foster the conditions that promote the crossing of disease between species. Why has the Chinese government allowed these markets to flourish despite concerns about their safety? And how should the international community respond to this ongoing potential threat?

With special thanks to:
Prof David Heyman - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Headed the global response to the SARS outbreak at the WHO.
Katherine Mason - Medical Anthropologist at Brown University
Prof Dirk Pfeiffer - Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Chair of One Health at City University of Hong Kong
Dr Amesh Adalja - Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Health Security. Expert on emerging infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, and biosecurity.
Sophia Yan - China correspondent, The Telegraph

CREDITS
Narrator
Theodora Louloudis

Archive
Getty

Director / Creative Lead
Jeremy Holden

Assistant Producer
Elliott Daly

Senior Producer
Danielle Robinson

Production Manager
Carla de Nicola

Research and Script
Elliott Daly
Jeremy Holden

Film Editor
Ed Gould

Motion Designer
Daniel Symons

Music
Audionetworks

Executive Producer
Andy Mackenzie