> So far no one has shown that any of these virus isolates differ in any fundamental property.
A different sequence is prevalent elsewhere. Not proof, but suggestive of a property difference.
Also, the virus originated from one point (Wuhan) and was spread more or less simultaneously across the world. It would be quite odd if one strain hopped on all the west/east-bound planes, while another strain found its way only to the south-bound planes. Not to mention that the 'second wave' of infections in APAC originated largely from Europe.
> sunlight (UV-B), heat/humidity
Much of Asia is in the northern hemisphere (e.g. China and Japan); same season as Europe and USA.
Australia is in Asia too, close to China with much travel between.
I agree there are many factors and it's early. But the low cases and deaths over all countries in Asia has a peculiar uniformity - in contrast to elsewhere.
Most geographers would disagree. It's a 12-hour flight from Beijing to Sydney, no closer than Beijing to San Francisco.
Referring to Australia as being "close to China" is like saying Russia is close to England. It's its own continent.
To put it in more concrete terms, any (direct) flight you look up from Wuhan to any city in Australia is 12+ hours. That's a much longer flight than New York to London.
I'm just pointing out something interesting in the data I was curious about. It's a pity HN picks out one detail and ignores the interesting thing... but upon reflection, pedantry is typical of today's HN, and partly why pg withdrew.
Regarding Australia, it's often said we are in the Asia region. And for the specific purposes here, of initial transmission, we have much contact with China, through tourism, education, primary produce and trade in general. It's expected we'd get initial infection direct from China (which trwcing shows we did), rather than via Europe.
https://www.virology.ws/2020/05/07/there-is-one-and-only-one...
A series of similar events in similar circumstances can be explained by a series of different causes, but it seems worth looking at a similar cause, no? This is at the stage of initial hypothesis.
Gosh, maybe people thought I was saying it was the absolute truth.