The shadow
The shadow knows!
nivek
As Above So Below
Travelers to England can face 10 years in prison under new COVID-19 policy
Britain’s Health Secretary said Tuesday that any traveler who visits the United Kingdom from a "red list" country faces steep fines a possible 10-year prison sentence, reports said.
Matt Hancock was referring to the new policy that came into effect on Monday.
"We are coming down hard on people who provide false information on the passenger locator form," he said, according to the Evening Standard. "Anyone who lies on the passenger locator form and tries to conceal that they have been in a country on the ‘red list’ in the ten days before arrival here, will face a prison sentence of up to ten years."
Hancock said that from Monday, residents of the U.K. and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s "red list" will have to purchase a "quarantine package" that costs $2,400 per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items.
There are 33 countries, including South Africa, Portugal and all of South America, from where travel to England is effectively banned largely because of concerns over new variants of the coronavirus.
Hancock made headlines last week when he said in an interview that the 2011 movie "Contagion" helped to influence his approach on how best to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.K.
The Independent reported that the U.K. recorded 12,364 new cases and 1,052 deaths on Tuesday. There have been 113,850 total deaths tied to the virus.
.
Britain’s Health Secretary said Tuesday that any traveler who visits the United Kingdom from a "red list" country faces steep fines a possible 10-year prison sentence, reports said.
Matt Hancock was referring to the new policy that came into effect on Monday.
"We are coming down hard on people who provide false information on the passenger locator form," he said, according to the Evening Standard. "Anyone who lies on the passenger locator form and tries to conceal that they have been in a country on the ‘red list’ in the ten days before arrival here, will face a prison sentence of up to ten years."
Hancock said that from Monday, residents of the U.K. and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s "red list" will have to purchase a "quarantine package" that costs $2,400 per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items.
There are 33 countries, including South Africa, Portugal and all of South America, from where travel to England is effectively banned largely because of concerns over new variants of the coronavirus.
Hancock made headlines last week when he said in an interview that the 2011 movie "Contagion" helped to influence his approach on how best to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.K.
The Independent reported that the U.K. recorded 12,364 new cases and 1,052 deaths on Tuesday. There have been 113,850 total deaths tied to the virus.
.
August
Metanoia
I think they are in Chinas pocket myself.
Nora
Honorable
Baba Vanga:
In 40 years (1981 + 40 = 2021) there will be no current diseases,
but
new ones will appear.
They will be connected to the brain.
"Prediction Made in 1981, when the world had not yet spoken of the disease of the century: AIDS VIRUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1994-1999)Project Chani{reptile Lacerta]:
(CORRECT)me cee america people very angry go damage monument there capitol ok
(TODAY 2021)me cee sicknes go people of india and people of korea
ravenecho com/articles/16/176/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A new disease, causing a sudden and painful death, swept from India
Scientists cannot def. pathology
Denduluru, India
Feb.2021
In various parts of India, more than 700 people have fallen ill in the last month and a half.
Scientists cannot determine what this pathology is, as they have not encountered anything like it before.
Sources say that people live normally, and then suddenly begin to faint, fall to the ground and begin terrible convulsions.
In a month and a half, several deaths have already been registered.
In the last few days alone, this has happened to 29 people, one of whom has died, and all the others have been immediately taken to the Denduluru Primary Health Care Center.
Some of the patients were sent to other hospitals depending on their place of residence.
officials, collected a huge number of samples not only of blood
but
also of water & local food to determine the causes of the unknown disease.
The results are still unknown & officials say experts will talk about them later.
In 40 years (1981 + 40 = 2021) there will be no current diseases,
but
new ones will appear.
They will be connected to the brain.
"Prediction Made in 1981, when the world had not yet spoken of the disease of the century: AIDS VIRUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1994-1999)Project Chani{reptile Lacerta]:
(CORRECT)me cee america people very angry go damage monument there capitol ok
(TODAY 2021)me cee sicknes go people of india and people of korea
ravenecho com/articles/16/176/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A new disease, causing a sudden and painful death, swept from India
Scientists cannot def. pathology
Denduluru, India
Feb.2021
In various parts of India, more than 700 people have fallen ill in the last month and a half.
Scientists cannot determine what this pathology is, as they have not encountered anything like it before.
Sources say that people live normally, and then suddenly begin to faint, fall to the ground and begin terrible convulsions.
In a month and a half, several deaths have already been registered.
In the last few days alone, this has happened to 29 people, one of whom has died, and all the others have been immediately taken to the Denduluru Primary Health Care Center.
Some of the patients were sent to other hospitals depending on their place of residence.
officials, collected a huge number of samples not only of blood
but
also of water & local food to determine the causes of the unknown disease.
The results are still unknown & officials say experts will talk about them later.
Toroid
Founding Member
Welcome to AE.
August
Metanoia
More UK Mutant Corona virus in Melbourne Australia.
Queensland tightens border rules as Holiday Inn COVID-19 cluster grows
Queensland tightens border rules as Holiday Inn COVID-19 cluster grows
August
Metanoia
Nora
Honorable
Merlin = The "Queen" of the Ravens in the Tower of London has disappeared.
This was reported to her viewer, who hastened to clarify that 7 of the birds still live there - a condition according to the trust, in order to avoid the end of the king(uk).
an independent bird, has not been seen for several weeks in the fortress on the banks of the River Thames.
prophecy :
if all the crows leave the fortress, the kingdom(uk) will "collapse" and chaos will break out in the country.
That is why King Charles II issued a decree in 1630 that there would always be 6 crows there.
Tower, where the jewels are kept on the crown, a statement was issued to reassure the British: "We have a crow in the Tower, one more."
Since joining the flock in 2007, Merlina_raven has been named "Queen of the Ravens in the Tower".
Although she sometimes ran away, she always returned to the rest -
Poppy,
Erin,
Jubilee,
Rocky,
Harry,
Grip and
Georgie.
That's why their viewer, Cric Scifi, worries that she hasn't flown to the sky forever.
This was reported to her viewer, who hastened to clarify that 7 of the birds still live there - a condition according to the trust, in order to avoid the end of the king(uk).
an independent bird, has not been seen for several weeks in the fortress on the banks of the River Thames.
prophecy :
if all the crows leave the fortress, the kingdom(uk) will "collapse" and chaos will break out in the country.
That is why King Charles II issued a decree in 1630 that there would always be 6 crows there.
Tower, where the jewels are kept on the crown, a statement was issued to reassure the British: "We have a crow in the Tower, one more."
Since joining the flock in 2007, Merlina_raven has been named "Queen of the Ravens in the Tower".
Although she sometimes ran away, she always returned to the rest -
Poppy,
Erin,
Jubilee,
Rocky,
Harry,
Grip and
Georgie.
That's why their viewer, Cric Scifi, worries that she hasn't flown to the sky forever.
Nora
Honorable
It was the practice of the Roman Empire for some dreams to be considered by the Senate, which analyzed them.
Dreams = messages from the gods
Interpretive dreams accompanied military leaders in battle to help them.
In addition, it is known that some artists have reached their most creative insights through their dreams.
Dreams = messages from the gods
Interpretive dreams accompanied military leaders in battle to help them.
In addition, it is known that some artists have reached their most creative insights through their dreams.
pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
One of my oldest and dearest friends is gravely ill and in the hospital. He's COVID positive but completely asymptomatic.
If he had passed in the hospital due to any of the immediately life threatening problems he would most likely be coded as another virus death.
They were about to ship him to a goddamned nursing home. Social services - they were going to warehouse him in a nursing home while he undergoes chemo and radiation. Of the two places in question you wouldn't board your dog there. We didn't let that happen.
But even after maybe 15000 people have died because of this exact stupidity nothing has changed except the governor got an Emmy.
If he had passed in the hospital due to any of the immediately life threatening problems he would most likely be coded as another virus death.
They were about to ship him to a goddamned nursing home. Social services - they were going to warehouse him in a nursing home while he undergoes chemo and radiation. Of the two places in question you wouldn't board your dog there. We didn't let that happen.
But even after maybe 15000 people have died because of this exact stupidity nothing has changed except the governor got an Emmy.
August
Metanoia
Australian state of Victoria goes into total stage 4 lockdown as deadly fast infecting UK mutant coronavirus spreads. All other states have closed their borders to Victoria.
Entire state of Victoria under lockdown to prevent a 'catastrophic' third wave of COVID-19 infections
Entire state of Victoria under lockdown to prevent a 'catastrophic' third wave of COVID-19 infections
Last edited:
nivek
As Above So Below
New mystery diseases and other dangerous pestilences are erupting around the world to trigger the next pandemic
Did you hear about the outbreak of the new “mystery disease” in Tanzania? What about the alarming new Ebola outbreak in Congo? And the new developments in South Africa and UK making headlines all over the globe.
Despite all of our advanced technology, humanity remains extremely vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, and many believe that the COVID pandemic is just the beginning.
Fearsome new bugs are constantly being cooked up in labs all over the planet, and it is inevitable that there will be more “accidents” that result in more of these bugs getting released in the future.
As we have seen, a single virus can rapidly spread throughout the entire world, and it is just a matter of time before a pandemic comes along that will wipe out tens of millions of people.
Mystery illness in Tanzania
‘Outbreaks’ is a hot button topic for me, and so I am constantly monitoring news sources for new pestilences that may be emerging. Needless to say, when news stories about a new “mystery illness” in Tanzania started coming out, that definitely got my attention…
“A MYSTERY illness which causes patients to vomit blood has killed at least 15 in Tanzania, officials said.
“More than 50 people have been hospitalised in the south of the country due to the unidentified condition which also causes nausea in sufferers.“
Authorities in Tanzania do not know what is causing people to vomit blood and drop dead.
But they did suspend the doctor that first reported this outbreak for “causing panic:”
“Tanzania has suspended a medical officer who reported that a mystery disease had killed 15 people in the country and caused people to throw up blood.
“Felista Kisandu, the chief medical officer for the Chunya district, had described how patients ‘vomit blood and die when they get to the hospital late’ in an unexplained bout of sickness which was said to have affected more than 50 people.“
At this point, officials are insisting that there will not be a wider outbreak, but of course Tanzania would also have us believe that COVID does not exist in their country when there is a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary.
So far, this new mystery disease does not appear to match the type of killer pandemic that I described in my latest book, but we will continue to monitor the situation.
New Ebola outbreak in Congo
Meanwhile, a new Ebola outbreak in Congo is creating a tremendous amount of concern:
“Health officials in Congo confirmed another Ebola outbreak in the country’s east on Sunday, the fourth in less than three years. On February 3, a woman died in Butembo town in North Kivu province, Minister of Health Eteni Longondo announced.
“The woman from the nearby village of Biena felt sick for a few days before being tested in a clinic there. She then went to a hospital in Butembo, but died before receiving the results. The government has begun tracing everyone who came in contact with her to try to “eradicate the epidemic as soon as possible,” said Longondo.”
The good news is that it is not easy to transmit Ebola from one person to another. But of course Ebola could mutate at any time.
Speaking of mutations, the number of cases of “SUPER COVID” in the United States appears “to be doubling about every 10 days”:
“Cases of the ‘super COVID’ variant that originated in the UK are spreading rapidly across the United States, a new study claims.
“Researchers estimate that the variant, known as B 1.1.7., is between 35 percent and 45 percent more transmissible than strains seen earlier on in the pandemic.
“Because of its more contagious nature, infections of the variant in the U.S. appear to be doubling about every 10 days.“
Some health experts believe that this will cause the largest wave of COVID that we have seen so far, but others dispute that claim.
Of even greater concern is the COVID variant that has emerged out of South Africa. At the moment, confirmed cases of that variant have been identified in three different states…
“The South Africa coronavirus variant has been identified in Virginia, the third state to report a B.1.351 variant case, according to Feb. 7 data from the CDC. Maryland and South Carolina have also reported cases of the variant, bringing the nation’s total to six known cases.“
One of the reasons why the South African variant is causing so much concern is because vaccines appear to be of little use against it.
In fact, South Africa just suspended their entire vaccination campaign after the results of a shocking new study were released:
“South Africa suspended its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 Sunday after a new study revealed that the AstraZeneca vaccine is less effective against a variant of the virus found in the country.
“The World Health Organization is holding a meeting Monday about the latest development in South Africa.“
If the South African strain becomes dominant all over the planet, that will be a complete and utter nightmare for global health authorities.
And we are being told that COVID is going to keep mutating in the years ahead. This is a disease that is simply not going to be eradicated, and even the Wall Street Journal is admitting that this virus could be with us for “decades:”
“Governments and businesses are increasingly accepting what epidemiologists have long warned: The pathogen will circulate for years, or even decades, leaving society to coexist with Covid-19 much as it does with other endemic diseases like flu, measles, and HIV.“
So those that were expecting their lives to “get back to normal” are going to be deeply disappointed.
Thomas Frieden, the former director of the CDC, says that “we need to come to the acceptance phase that our lives are not going to be the same”…
“The ease with which the coronavirus spreads, the emergence of new strains and poor access to vaccines in large parts of the world mean Covid-19 could shift from a pandemic disease to an endemic one, implying lasting modifications to personal and societal behavior, epidemiologists say.
“Going through the five phases of grief, we need to come to the acceptance phase that our lives are not going to be the same,” said Thomas Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I don’t think the world has really absorbed the fact that these are long-term changes.“
But what Frieden and other experts don’t seem to realize is that this COVID pandemic is not a worst case scenario.
Pandemics that are far, far worse are inevitably coming, and they will wipe out tens of millions of people.
We have now entered an era of deadly pandemics, and society is going to be completely turned upside down as a result. Yes, and the below guy knows more than anybody on this subject… Maybe because he is behind them all…
Did you hear about the outbreak of the new “mystery disease” in Tanzania? What about the alarming new Ebola outbreak in Congo? And the new developments in South Africa and UK making headlines all over the globe.
Despite all of our advanced technology, humanity remains extremely vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, and many believe that the COVID pandemic is just the beginning.
Fearsome new bugs are constantly being cooked up in labs all over the planet, and it is inevitable that there will be more “accidents” that result in more of these bugs getting released in the future.
As we have seen, a single virus can rapidly spread throughout the entire world, and it is just a matter of time before a pandemic comes along that will wipe out tens of millions of people.
Mystery illness in Tanzania
‘Outbreaks’ is a hot button topic for me, and so I am constantly monitoring news sources for new pestilences that may be emerging. Needless to say, when news stories about a new “mystery illness” in Tanzania started coming out, that definitely got my attention…
“A MYSTERY illness which causes patients to vomit blood has killed at least 15 in Tanzania, officials said.
“More than 50 people have been hospitalised in the south of the country due to the unidentified condition which also causes nausea in sufferers.“
Authorities in Tanzania do not know what is causing people to vomit blood and drop dead.
But they did suspend the doctor that first reported this outbreak for “causing panic:”
“Tanzania has suspended a medical officer who reported that a mystery disease had killed 15 people in the country and caused people to throw up blood.
“Felista Kisandu, the chief medical officer for the Chunya district, had described how patients ‘vomit blood and die when they get to the hospital late’ in an unexplained bout of sickness which was said to have affected more than 50 people.“
At this point, officials are insisting that there will not be a wider outbreak, but of course Tanzania would also have us believe that COVID does not exist in their country when there is a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary.
So far, this new mystery disease does not appear to match the type of killer pandemic that I described in my latest book, but we will continue to monitor the situation.
New Ebola outbreak in Congo
Meanwhile, a new Ebola outbreak in Congo is creating a tremendous amount of concern:
“Health officials in Congo confirmed another Ebola outbreak in the country’s east on Sunday, the fourth in less than three years. On February 3, a woman died in Butembo town in North Kivu province, Minister of Health Eteni Longondo announced.
“The woman from the nearby village of Biena felt sick for a few days before being tested in a clinic there. She then went to a hospital in Butembo, but died before receiving the results. The government has begun tracing everyone who came in contact with her to try to “eradicate the epidemic as soon as possible,” said Longondo.”
The good news is that it is not easy to transmit Ebola from one person to another. But of course Ebola could mutate at any time.
Speaking of mutations, the number of cases of “SUPER COVID” in the United States appears “to be doubling about every 10 days”:
“Cases of the ‘super COVID’ variant that originated in the UK are spreading rapidly across the United States, a new study claims.
“Researchers estimate that the variant, known as B 1.1.7., is between 35 percent and 45 percent more transmissible than strains seen earlier on in the pandemic.
“Because of its more contagious nature, infections of the variant in the U.S. appear to be doubling about every 10 days.“
Some health experts believe that this will cause the largest wave of COVID that we have seen so far, but others dispute that claim.
Of even greater concern is the COVID variant that has emerged out of South Africa. At the moment, confirmed cases of that variant have been identified in three different states…
“The South Africa coronavirus variant has been identified in Virginia, the third state to report a B.1.351 variant case, according to Feb. 7 data from the CDC. Maryland and South Carolina have also reported cases of the variant, bringing the nation’s total to six known cases.“
One of the reasons why the South African variant is causing so much concern is because vaccines appear to be of little use against it.
In fact, South Africa just suspended their entire vaccination campaign after the results of a shocking new study were released:
“South Africa suspended its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 Sunday after a new study revealed that the AstraZeneca vaccine is less effective against a variant of the virus found in the country.
“The World Health Organization is holding a meeting Monday about the latest development in South Africa.“
If the South African strain becomes dominant all over the planet, that will be a complete and utter nightmare for global health authorities.
And we are being told that COVID is going to keep mutating in the years ahead. This is a disease that is simply not going to be eradicated, and even the Wall Street Journal is admitting that this virus could be with us for “decades:”
“Governments and businesses are increasingly accepting what epidemiologists have long warned: The pathogen will circulate for years, or even decades, leaving society to coexist with Covid-19 much as it does with other endemic diseases like flu, measles, and HIV.“
So those that were expecting their lives to “get back to normal” are going to be deeply disappointed.
Thomas Frieden, the former director of the CDC, says that “we need to come to the acceptance phase that our lives are not going to be the same”…
“The ease with which the coronavirus spreads, the emergence of new strains and poor access to vaccines in large parts of the world mean Covid-19 could shift from a pandemic disease to an endemic one, implying lasting modifications to personal and societal behavior, epidemiologists say.
“Going through the five phases of grief, we need to come to the acceptance phase that our lives are not going to be the same,” said Thomas Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I don’t think the world has really absorbed the fact that these are long-term changes.“
But what Frieden and other experts don’t seem to realize is that this COVID pandemic is not a worst case scenario.
Pandemics that are far, far worse are inevitably coming, and they will wipe out tens of millions of people.
We have now entered an era of deadly pandemics, and society is going to be completely turned upside down as a result. Yes, and the below guy knows more than anybody on this subject… Maybe because he is behind them all…
AD1184
Celestial
What is going on in the Brazilian city of Manaus is interesting, potentially indicating what is in store for the rest of us with this pandemic:
Covid-19: Is Manaus the final nail in the coffin for natural herd immunity?
A study on the presence of antibodies in Manaus released in September showed that 76% of blood donors in the city had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, after a deadly first wave in the spring and early summer. However, in recent weeks, Manaus has been subject to an even worse second wave of Covid.
Possibly the prevalence of antibodies in the rest of the population of Manaus was overestimated by using the prevalence in blood donors, as arguably they are not a representative sample. But any with Covid symptoms were excluded from the count, as well. So those studying the situation don't believe that the prevalence was greatly overestimated. It is also thought that the waning of natural immunity from the second wave is also not sufficient to explain the increase.
It might then be that the new strain that has arisen in Brazil is evading the immunity of those who have had it previously, and people are getting re-infected, plus its increased infectivity (in common with the South African and British strains) pushes the herd immunity threshold higher.
However, I don't think that the new strains are the end of the world. The fact that there has been a convergent evolution in new strains developing many of the same mutations suggests that there are a limited number of mutations that SARS-CoV-2 can perform in order to increase its fitness. These small number of mutations can be targeted by new vaccine booster shots.
Covid-19: Is Manaus the final nail in the coffin for natural herd immunity?
A study on the presence of antibodies in Manaus released in September showed that 76% of blood donors in the city had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, after a deadly first wave in the spring and early summer. However, in recent weeks, Manaus has been subject to an even worse second wave of Covid.
Possibly the prevalence of antibodies in the rest of the population of Manaus was overestimated by using the prevalence in blood donors, as arguably they are not a representative sample. But any with Covid symptoms were excluded from the count, as well. So those studying the situation don't believe that the prevalence was greatly overestimated. It is also thought that the waning of natural immunity from the second wave is also not sufficient to explain the increase.
It might then be that the new strain that has arisen in Brazil is evading the immunity of those who have had it previously, and people are getting re-infected, plus its increased infectivity (in common with the South African and British strains) pushes the herd immunity threshold higher.
However, I don't think that the new strains are the end of the world. The fact that there has been a convergent evolution in new strains developing many of the same mutations suggests that there are a limited number of mutations that SARS-CoV-2 can perform in order to increase its fitness. These small number of mutations can be targeted by new vaccine booster shots.
nivek
As Above So Below
It's likely this coronavirus will eventually have a dominate mutation that will be less deadly and contagious, more in line with the common cold of flu, similar to what occurred during the last pandemic, but I think on a longer scale of time in our case...However likely that outcome, it's also possible we will continue to see more deadly and more contagious strains at times, spiking in numbers of infected and deaths over the next few years until a very high herd immunity percentage is achieved, like ninty-five percent or better...
...
nivek
As Above So Below
As many suspected, the 2019 outbreak that began in Wuhan China was much larger and more deadly than the Chinese government would like the world to know...The question still remains, did this coronavirus come from a lab near or in Wuhan?...I personally believe that to be the case...
...
Wuhan's COVID-19 outbreak probably 500% bigger than first thought, WHO team tells CNN
Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) have found signs that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019 might have been more widespread than initially thought, according to CNN.
"The virus was circulating widely in Wuhan in December, which is a new finding," lead investigator Peter Ben Embarek told the media outlet. Chinese scientists told the WHO team that around 174 cases of COVID-19 in and around Wuhan in December, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported.
WHO's investigation suggests that there might actually have been over 1,000 infections during that month, CNN said.
Embarek told CNN that because the number presented by Chinese scientists were likely severe cases, it is unlikely that 174 cases reflect the true number of December infections.
"We have done any modeling of that since, but we know... in ballpark figures... out of the infected population, about 15% end up in severe cases, and the vast majority are mild cases," Embarek said.
This estimate suggests that there would have been at least 1,100 cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan in the final month of 2019.
The WHO team also discovered that there were numerous strains of COVID-19 already spreading across the city in December, according to CNN.
WHO scientists identified 13 different genetic sequences of the virus from that month during their investigation, the media outlet reported.
Changes in genetic sequencing are usual and take place over time as viruses spread and reproduce.
The discovery of over a dozen genetic sequences of the SARS-COV-2 virus from December, however, might suggest that the coronavirus was circulating earlier than initially thought.
Prof. Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney, told CNN: "As there was already genetic diversity in SARS-CoV-2 sequences sampled from Wuhan in December 2019, it is likely that the virus was circulating for a while longer than that month alone."
Embarek declined to reach that conclusion this early on.
This discovery is the latest addition to the growing body of evidence that suggests COVID-19 may have been spreading globally before December.
One analysis by Harvard University, based on Wuhan hospitals' satellite images and search engine traffic for coronavirus symptoms, suggests that the virus may have started circulating there as early as late summer.
Another study from Milan's National Cancer Institute suggests that COVID-19 cases may have been found in Italy in October 2019.
Wuhan's public health officials told the WHO about the illness on December 31, 2019.
But government records show China's first coronavirus case happened on November 17, 2019, according to an investigation by the South China Morning Post.
.
...
Wuhan's COVID-19 outbreak probably 500% bigger than first thought, WHO team tells CNN
Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) have found signs that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019 might have been more widespread than initially thought, according to CNN.
"The virus was circulating widely in Wuhan in December, which is a new finding," lead investigator Peter Ben Embarek told the media outlet. Chinese scientists told the WHO team that around 174 cases of COVID-19 in and around Wuhan in December, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported.
WHO's investigation suggests that there might actually have been over 1,000 infections during that month, CNN said.
Embarek told CNN that because the number presented by Chinese scientists were likely severe cases, it is unlikely that 174 cases reflect the true number of December infections.
"We have done any modeling of that since, but we know... in ballpark figures... out of the infected population, about 15% end up in severe cases, and the vast majority are mild cases," Embarek said.
This estimate suggests that there would have been at least 1,100 cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan in the final month of 2019.
The WHO team also discovered that there were numerous strains of COVID-19 already spreading across the city in December, according to CNN.
WHO scientists identified 13 different genetic sequences of the virus from that month during their investigation, the media outlet reported.
Changes in genetic sequencing are usual and take place over time as viruses spread and reproduce.
The discovery of over a dozen genetic sequences of the SARS-COV-2 virus from December, however, might suggest that the coronavirus was circulating earlier than initially thought.
Prof. Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney, told CNN: "As there was already genetic diversity in SARS-CoV-2 sequences sampled from Wuhan in December 2019, it is likely that the virus was circulating for a while longer than that month alone."
Embarek declined to reach that conclusion this early on.
This discovery is the latest addition to the growing body of evidence that suggests COVID-19 may have been spreading globally before December.
One analysis by Harvard University, based on Wuhan hospitals' satellite images and search engine traffic for coronavirus symptoms, suggests that the virus may have started circulating there as early as late summer.
Another study from Milan's National Cancer Institute suggests that COVID-19 cases may have been found in Italy in October 2019.
Wuhan's public health officials told the WHO about the illness on December 31, 2019.
But government records show China's first coronavirus case happened on November 17, 2019, according to an investigation by the South China Morning Post.
.
