Infection_Ag11 said:
It most likely represents a species jump. The virus doesn't contain the genetic hallmarks of gain of function research.
Scientists who authored a paper on the origins of COVID-19 agreed the best course of action was to downplay the Chinese lab leak theory over concerns about international fallout, newly released internal messages show.
Dr. Andrew Rambaut and Dr. Kristian Andersen discussed the issue in an early February 2020 Slack conversation with colleagues, which took place several weeks before their "Proximal Origin" report got published in the journal Nature Medicine in March of the same year.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/scientists-agreed-to-downplay-chinese-lab-leak-theory-for-fear-of-s-show-messages-indicate