The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 might have been transmitted in people in the United States and other countries outside of China before the pandemic was pinpointed to have originated from China.

This startling new narrative, reported by South China Morning Post, stems from the latest word out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 30.

If it holds water, it could drastically change the world's understanding of the origins of the virus, and highlight the politicised discussion about the virus' ground zero.

Virus found in countries outside of China

U.S. CDC scientists said blood samples taken from Dec. 13, 2019 revealed evidence of antibodies for Sars-Cov-2, which is the Covid-19 virus.

The samples were taken from U.S. residents more than two weeks before the Dec. 31 official confirmation of the outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

This indicates that the virus was in the U.S. population as much as a month earlier than the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the U.S. on Jan. 19.

The generation of antibodies is a response by the human immune system to identify and attack pathogens in the body.

Antibodies are specific to each type of virus, bacteria or parasite.

9 states in US

Researchers tested 7,389 blood samples collected between Dec. 13, 2019, and Jan. 17, 2020, according to the U.S. CDC report.

The samples came from residents in nine states: California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

It found 106 reacted to tests for Sars-CoV-2 antibodies.

Out of those, 39 were collected between Dec. 13 and 16.

The rest were taken between Dec. 20, 2019, and Jan. 17, 2020.

Scientists did further tests on 90 of those 106 samples to confirm the antibodies were not for other coronaviruses, such as those that cause the common cold.

A total of 84, or about 93 per cent, were found to have Covid-19-specific antibodies.

Changing the Covid-19 narrative

CDC scientists wrote in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases: "The presence of these serum antibodies indicate that isolated Sars-CoV-2 infections may have occurred in the western portion of the United States earlier than previously recognised."

The U.S. has added to research from Italy and France with this finding.

Both sets of samples from Italy and France were taken before the virus was identified in Wuhan.

Blood samples taken in Italy since September 2019 indicated the presence of antibodies against the new coronavirus, an analysis published in Italy in November 2020 reported.

A swab taken from a hospital patient in France on Dec. 27 later tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a June report.

Getting to the bottom of origin of virus

Currently, two international investigative teams are trying to get to the bottom of where the disease originated.

One is organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the other by The Lancet medical journal.

At least two events have to occur for an emerging disease to become established.

The pathogen has to be first introduced to a susceptible population and then be able to spread readily from person to person and cause disease.

The infection also has to be able to sustain itself through infecting more and more people.

We deliver more stories to you on LinkedIn

Top photo via Unsplash