Akwai ƙoƙarin ci gaba dayawa na masana kimiyya, gwamnatoci, ƙungiyoyin ƙasa da ƙasa, da sauransu don tantance asalin SARS-CoV-2, ƙwayar da ke da alhakin cutar ta COVID-19. Mai masana kimiyya ce cewa kamar yadda tare da sauran cututtukan annoba a tarihin dan Adam, da cutar ne m na zoonotic asalin a wata halitta saitin, da kuma kyakkyawan samo asali daga wani jemage-haifa cutar. An gabatar da wasu bayanai da dama, gami da ra'ayoyin makirci da yawa game da asalin kwayar cutar. SARS-CoV-2 yana da kamanceceniya ta kamanceceniya da coronaviruses jemagu da yawa da aka gano a baya, yana ba da shawarar cewa ya ratsa cikin mutane daga jemagu. Ana ci gaba da bincike kan ko SARS-CoV-2 ta fito ne kai tsaye daga jemagu ko a kaikaice ta kowane runduna ta tsakiya. Jerin kwayoyin halittar farko na kwayar cutar sun nuna bambancin bambancin kwayoyin halitta, duk da cewa daga baya wasu bambance-bambancen bambance-bambancen sun fito (wasu suna yaduwa da karfi), suna nuna cewa abin da ya haifar da bullar SARS-CoV-2 ga mutane yana iya faruwa a ƙarshen 2019.