Early data from unpublished studies suggests that covid-19 could have been circulating for weeks outside the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified, according to the Chinese lead of the World Health Organization team that released first details of its fact-finding mission into the origins of the virus.
“This indicates the possibility of the missed reported circulation in other regions,” said Dr. Liang Wannian, the Chinese lead of the international team, which includes the WHO, during a press conference.
The first cases of a pneumonia-like illness were reported in Wuhan, a city of some 11 million people on the Yangtze River in central Hubei province, in December 2019.
