French scientists have identified the earliest-known case of COVID-19 in the nation: a patient who was treated in a hospital near Paris in December, an indication that the virus has been spreading across the world for far longer than had previously been known.



The doctors from the Groupe Hospitalier Paris Seine in Saint-Denis said a sample taken from a 42-year-old fishmonger, admitted to the emergency room on Dec. 27, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The man reported coughing up blood, a headache and a fever. He was eventually admitted to the intensive care unit, though he recovered and was discharged on Dec. 29.



The discovery dramatically alters the timeline of the coronavirus, which has been responsible for more than 3.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, including 169,000 in France, as well as more than a quarter-million deaths. The man's admission to the hospital came four days before the first reports of a cluster of unusual pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak.



The earlier date means it is likely the coronavirus had been spreading around the globe for weeks or months before it was identified by Chinese scientists in the cluster of abnormal pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/496075-french-hospital-discovers-it-treated-coronavirus-patient-in?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Cc lalasticala mynd44

This is so true......... It has been spreading across globe even before earlier notice in Wuhan,,,,, But high mortality rate was not recorded yet..... ever since they started testing and confirming cases, the death rate increased because of the fear WHO had associated with the Virus.