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Comment by Edward C. Holmes

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Evolutionary virologist, University of Sydney
An analysis of the geographic locations of the earliest known COVID cases – dating to December 2019 – revealed a strong clustering around the Huanan market. This was true not only for people who worked at or visited the market, but also for those who had no links to it. Although there will be many missing cases, there’s no evidence of widespread sampling bias: the first COVID cases were not identified simply because they were linked to the Huanan market.
AI Verified (Aug 15, 2022)
Source:
Edward Holmes, “The COVID ‘lab leak theory’ is dead,” newsGP/RACGP, August 15, 2022.
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The clustering of early cases around the Huanan market reflects where the COVID-19 virus emerged, not just where testing looked
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AI Verified The quote directly addresses the statement: it says early cases showed “strong clustering around the Huanan market” and that there was “no evidence of widespread sampling bias,” which makes the author’s supportive stance on that claim clear. ([www1.racgp.org.au](https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/the-covid-lab-leak-theory-is-dead)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 · 1h ago
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AI Verified The author explicitly says the earliest cases showed a “strong clustering around the Huanan market,” including people with no links to it, and that “there’s no evidence of widespread sampling bias,” so the pattern is presented as evidence of where the pandemic originated rather than merely where testing concentrated. ([www1.racgp.org.au](https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/the-covid-lab-leak-theory-is-dead)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 · 1h ago

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AI Verified The RACGP page at the supplied URL is authored by Edward Holmes, dated 15 Aug 2022, and contains the quoted passage verbatim in lines 66–69. The wording in the source matches the submitted quote, including the Huanan market and sampling-bias language. ([www1.racgp.org.au](https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/the-covid-lab-leak-theory-is-dead)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 · 1h ago
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