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Is it an extraordinary claim? The sequence matching should be easy to verify as the genome has been published. If the sequences are short or common enough maybe it would be a more likely coincidence.

That said: What are the priors on a "natural" virus erupting in the only city in China with a level 4 biohazard facility?

Source: http://english.www.gov.cn/state_council/ministries/2018/01/0...

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So if it's not extraordinary it's still going to require evidence, which without peer review we still pretty much have none.

This is evidence, but it requires corroboration from other evidence. Peer review doesn't provide additional evidence - it's just a sober second opinion that lends credence (or not) to the proposed evidence and interpretation.

Just wanted to clarify the language here.

Totally right - and thank you for the clarification in language.

Indeed, the paper seems to suggest that the natural occurrence of this virus is the extraordinary claim.

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