A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the coronavirus cases in New York City at the start of the pandemic were from Europe, prompting a new round of outrage from Governor Andrew Cuomo. "The virus came to New York, and Americans died, because of government failure," he said in call with journalists on Thursday afternoon. "These are the facts. They missed the science."

The report, titled, "Detection and Genetic Characterization of Community-Based SARS-CoV-2 Infections — New York City, March 2020," notes, "The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted sentinel surveillance of influenza-like symptoms (ILS) and genetic sequencing to characterize community transmission and determine the geographic origin of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Among 544 specimens tested from persons with ILS and negative influenza test results, 36 (6.6%) were positive. Genetically sequenced positive specimens most closely resembled sequences circulating in Europe."

The CDC also noted that while domestic airport screening and bans "on foreign nationals traveling from China" were put in place on February 2nd, "similar travel restrictions from the Schengen Area in Europe were only implemented March 13th," when the virus was already in New York. "Although travel restrictions are an important mitigation strategy, by the time the European restrictions were implemented, importation and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 had already occurred in NYC."

Cuomo reiterated the point about the European travel ban being too late, "The president likes to talk about the travel ban [on Chinese flights] that was effective... his own CDC says the travel ban was too late." He pointed out how there were thousands of flights from Europe landing at JFK and Newark Airports in early March.

The CDC report also bolsters Mount Sinai's findings, published in April, that said the genome associated with COVID-19 patients in NYC resembles a strain of the virus from Europe.

A frustrated Cuomo warned, "There will be a second wave, [but] it's not going to be a mutated virus... it's going to be a rebound of COVID from other states that got infected, transmitting it back to New York."

The governor said this would be a "double-barreled shotgun of federal incompetence," and urged, "Follow the science, Mr. President. Open your eyes. Listen to the federal health officials."

hmmm ok