From Wuhan to Paris to Milan, the search for 'patient zero' Early cases across the globe spur questions about COVID-19's origin. By Eva Dou , Lyric Li , Chico Harlan and Rick Noack Washington Post July 17, 2021 — 10:20pm Text size Copy shortlink: On Dec. 8, 2019, the accountant began to feel ill. He did not frequent Wuhan's Huanan seafood market, he would later tell World Health Organization experts investigating the coronavirus's origin. He preferred the RT-Mart near his home on the eastern bank of the Yangtze River — a sleek, multistory supermarket where magnetized escalator ramps sweep customers and their shopping carts from floor to floor.