New study shows COVID-19 cases may have reached US well before first official case in January

[PeteS in CA]

New study shows COVID-19 cases may have reached US well before first official case in January

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-study-shows-covid-19-cases-may-have-reached-us-well-before-first-official-case-in-january

The scientists gathered blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from Dec. 13, 2019, to Jan. 17, 2020, from donors in California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, testing the samples for COVID-19 antibodies.

The scientists used “serologic testing” to analyze the samples, which had “been previously used to estimate the introduction of viral infections into the population, including for HIV.”

“Of the 7,389 samples, 106 were reactive,” the study’s authors wrote. “Of these 106 specimens, 90 were available for further testing.”

The scientists found that 84 of the 90 samples had “neutralizing activity” that suggested “the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibodies.”

“Donations with reactivity occurred in all nine states,” the authors added.
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The study’s results largely echo those of a similar study in Italy, which found that COVID-19 antibodies were already circulating in the country as early as September 2019.

That study analyzed blood samples from 959 asymptomatic patients that were enrolled in a lung cancer trial in Italy, with 14% of the samples showing “specific antibodies” as early as September 2019. By the second week of February 2020, close to 30% of samples screened positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

“This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarified the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” the study’s abstract reads. “Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic.”

Scientists from the more recent study in the U.S. note that the research has limitations, including the “detection of reactive antibodies” that could potentially have cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses found more frequently in common colds.