Scientists reported the first cases of COVID infection in the US in December 2019

According to a study of blood samples, the first cases of coronavirus infection in the United States occurred in December 2019. This was reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“The results of this report suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may have been present in the US <...> earlier than expected,” the NIH said.

During the study, scientists studied more than 24 thousand blood samples provided by residents of 50 states from January 2 to March 18, 2020. It was found that already in early January, a certain number of Americans had antibodies. At the same time, at that time, no cases of infection were officially recorded in these states.

On November 30, scientists from the US Department of Health's Office of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also conducted their study, during which they found that the first cases of COVID-19 infection occurred in the United States in December 2019. The American Red Cross took blood from residents of nine states from December 13 to January 17. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were found in 106 out of 7389 blood samples.