Missing linked species tied to COVID-19 'may never be found'

An "intermediate host" animal passed the coronavirus from wild bats to humans, evidence suggests.

But while the World Health Organization says that the research points to the virus's "natural origin", some scientists say it might never be known how the first person was infected.

It remains unclear whether this host animal was sold in the now infamous Wuhan wildlife market in China.

But the wildlife trade is seen as a potential source of this "spillover", according to BBC News.

Researchers say the trade provides a source of species-to-species disease transmission, which caused previous outbreaks and has been blamed for this pandemic.

The WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "We were preparing for something like this as it's not a matter of if, it is a matter of when."