I do not know why it took years to settle where the virus came from. I knew where in February 2020.
I was watching the news on my television and a young female Chinese scientist/doctor was being interviewed. In the course of the interview she showed a graphic of the DNA sequence of the virus. She pointed out that the original host of the virus was a bat. Specifically, a Horseshoe bat. At this point in time they were still pushing the Wet Market theory. The Chinese due to their enormous population eat many things as a source protein that we would not. So I asked a Chinese foodie friend if they do indeed eat bats. They do. Horseshoe bats? NO. Horseshoe bats taste terrible and are inedible. Strike one. A little Googling and I discovered that the nearest colony of Horseshoe bats was 1500 miles south of Wuhan. Not likely a stray bat crashing into the Wet Market. Strike two. It is not possible for there to be Horseshoe bats in the Wuhan wet market. And there is a Virology Study Center right across the street. Strike three.