I guess my question, apart from acknowledging my abhorrence of cruel animal practises for human gain,
Covid is very infectious and has had a tremendous impact on the world due to that fact (and inaction and unfamiliarity and lack of a vaccine), not how lethal it is - maybe 1-2%. And it appears at this stage did crossover in China.
But lets not leave out some of the most virulent & lethal virus' in modern times that crossed over from animals and poor hygiene practices and
all did not originate in China. Marburg, Ebola, Rabies, HIV, Smallpox, Hantavirus, Dengue to name a few. Some of these have a 25-100% untreated death rate.
We have a tendency to overlook these because either we have a vaccine, or they are currently well controlled/suppressed or they are not as infectious.
The current daily onslaught of death and destruction in the media is horrendous and very saddening given our technology and comms networks, but we are in the 10,000's death. The 1918 outbreak of the flu killed some 50M people
If we as a race, manage to control Covid relatively successfully in the next 6 months, there is a strong possibility it will kill less people than the annual seasonal flu.
Our abattoirs are essentially a sophisticated "wet market" with enhanced hygiene controls. Western carnivores will never allow the closure of abattoirs but will jump on poorer countries with less resources, less education, terrible hygiene practices.
Maybe the solution is to move to change the practices, not tell people they can't feed themselves, can't eat meat.