Harvard study claims evidence suggesting Covid-19 had been circulating earlier in China
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A study by the University of Harvard has placed further doubts on the handling of the coronavirus pandemic by China at its onset.
So far, generally accepted evidence indicated that the pandemic was linked with a spillover event from Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market in November or December of 2019. However, recent evidence identified by Harvard suggests that the virus may have already been circulating at the time of the outbreak.
The team of researchers used previously validated data streams , including satellite imagery of hospital parking lots and social media search queries of disease related terms – to investigate this possibility.
In its report, the University team said that it noted an upward trend in hospital traffic and search volume beginning in late Summer and early Autumn 2019. While queries of the respiratory symptom “cough” show seasonal fluctuations coinciding with yearly influenza seasons, terms such as “diarrhea” is a more COVID-19 specific symptom and only shows an association with the current epidemic. The increase of both signals precede the documented start of the COVID-19 pandemic in December.
Search for Covid-related symptoms seemed to have increased as early as August. This was neither seen in previous flu seasons or mirrored in the cough search data. The team said that while surprising, this finding lines up with the recent recognition that gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are a unique feature of COVID19 disease and may be the chief complaint of a significant proportion of presenting patients. This symptom search increase is then followed by a rise in hospital parking lot traffic in October
and November, as well as a rise in searches for cough.
While the researches insist that such data cannot be considered as conclusive evidence, it said that it is possible that broad community transmission may have led to more acute cases requiring medical attention, resulting in higher viral loads and worse symptoms.
These conclusions will further add pressure in US-Sino relations, and strengthen President Donald Trump’s approach in piling pressure on the World Health Organisation for failing to take the necessary action at an earlier stage. Trump has accused the WHO of pandering to Chinese interests on more than one occasion, and has threatened to stop funding from the US after already suspending it.
