A new study published on Nov. 30 indicated the possibility of COVID-19 being in the U.S. in December 2019, earlier than what has been reported by government agencies.
According to the article summary, “Retrospective SARS-CoV-2 serological testing of routine blood donations collected in nine U.S. states from Dec. 13, 2019 to Jan. 17, 2020 suggests that the virus was present in the United States earlier than previously recognized.”
The study was published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020. The American Red Cross and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were key agencies involved in the study.
According to the report, to determine if COVID-19 reactive antibodies were present prior to the first identified case in the U.S. on Jan. 19, 2020, residual archived samples from 7,389 routine blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from Dec. 13, 2019 to Jan. 17, 2020 were tested at the CDC for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
The samples were from donors who were residents in nine states; California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.