Respiratory tract samples collected from patients in a region of Quebec, Canada, indicate the absence of early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Wei Ting XiongSimon LévesquePhilippe MartinMathieu DurandBruno LemieuxPhilippe ThibaultDominique MarcouxRodica GilcaAlex CarignanPublished in: Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada = Journal officiel de l'Association pour la microbiologie medicale et l'infectiologie Canada (2020)
The results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 was not circulating within the region before February 20, 2020, because many samples, representing more than two-thirds of all samples tested for influenza during early 2020, were tested. Further studies using a similar methodology to determine the date of onset of SARS-CoV-2 in different countries and geographic areas could enhance our understanding of the current pandemic.