Recovery of deleted deep sequencing data sheds light on early Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 [pdf] (2021)

A scenario that doesn't get much attention is a botched containment of a natural spillover. The virus was natural, but the first epidemic covered up. They thought they had it under control until it showed up outside their quarantined area and the public became aware of it. That tracks with the deletions and initial attempts at suppression of medical staff. It would also be a similar response to the denial we saw when it first hit the US, even though it was already evident there was community transmission: "You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero".