Wuhan already had 13 variants of Covid by December

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   The Chinese city of Wuhan had more than a dozen Covid variants by December 2019, new findings by a team of World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists probing the origins of the pandemic suggest.
Peter Ben Embarek, who led a team of WHO investigators in Wuhan, said 13 different genetic sequences of the SARS-COV-2 virus were found in the Hubei province city, adding thousands more blood samples have been requested for analysis.

It suggests that the infection had been circulating in China earlier than previously thought, although Mr Embarek refused to be drawn on the matter.
Wuhan is widely considered to be "ground zero" of the outbreak, although its exact origins and timeframe continue to be debated, with some reports suggesting the disease was present in Europe as early as October.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/wuhan-covid-variants-december-2019-who-investigation-b1802393.html

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ksc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: February 09 2020 Status: Offline Points: 10995	Post Options Post Reply Quote ksc Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Wuhan already had 13 variants of Covid by December Posted: February 15 2021 at 11:29pm
	The Chinese city of Wuhan had more than a dozen Covid variants by December 2019, new findings by a team of World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists probing the origins of the pandemic suggest. Peter Ben Embarek, who led a team of WHO investigators in Wuhan, said 13 different genetic sequences of the SARS-COV-2 virus were found in the Hubei province city, adding thousands more blood samples have been requested for analysis. It suggests that the infection had been circulating in China earlier than previously thought, although Mr Embarek refused to be drawn on the matter. Wuhan is widely considered to be "ground zero" of the outbreak, although its exact origins and timeframe continue to be debated, with some reports suggesting the disease was present in Europe as early as October. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/wuhan-covid-variants-december-2019-who-investigation-b1802393.html

Dutch Josh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: May 01 2013 Location: Arnhem-Netherla Status: Offline Points: 95367	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dutch Josh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 16 2021 at 3:30am
	Dj-If "variants" means what it does mean now-different strains "going their own way" then 13 variants in Wuhan december 2019 must be "alarming". From the article; Professor John Watson, a former deputy chief medical officer, said while China remained a “very, very possible source”, reports that the virus was circulating in other parts of the world, notably northern Italy, as early as September and October, warranted further investigation. “I think that there are all sorts of reasons to do with the way it did start and the outbreak in Wuhan and the various bits of information about the way in which these viruses live in different animal reservoirs that suggest that China is a very, very possible source,” he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show. But China was “by no means necessarily the place where the leap from animals to humans took place and I think we need to ensure that we are looking beyond the borders of China, as well as within China,” he added. A study released by the National Cancer Institute (INT) in Milan in November showed the new coronavirus was circulating in Italy in September 2019. DJ-China did take over fashion industry in northern Italy. Lots of Chinese (some illegal) workers come and go to Italy from China. When one combines the 13 variants in Wuhan december 2019 AND exporting cases from China to Italy september 2019 (if that was the case) the pandemic-in fact-started much earlier... It would be good to have more info on earliest detections of Covid-19 cases (DJ-Not only from China-several places in Europe also reported earlier findings a.o. in sewage samples). It is much to early to get any conclusion !!!
	We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein

ksc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: February 09 2020 Status: Offline Points: 10995	Post Options Post Reply Quote ksc Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 16 2021 at 3:41am


Dutch Josh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: May 01 2013 Location: Arnhem-Netherla Status: Offline Points: 95367	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dutch Josh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 16 2021 at 4:12am
	ksc thanks for making clear definitions of "strain" "variants". [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_(biology)#Microbiology_and_virology[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_(biology)#Microbiology_and_virology ; It has been said that "there is no universally accepted definition for the terms 'strain', 'variant', and 'isolate' in the virology community, and most virologists simply copy the usage of terms from others".^[2] A strain is a genetic variant or subtype of a microorganism (e.g., a virus, bacterium or fungus). For example, a "flu strain" is a certain biological form of the influenza or "flu" virus. These flu strains are characterized by their differing isoforms of surface proteins. New viral strains can be created due to mutation or swapping of genetic components when two or more viruses infect the same cell in nature.^[3] These phenomena are known respectively as antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Microbial strains can also be differentiated by their genetic makeup using metagenomic methods to maximize resolution within species.^[4] This has become a valuable tool to analyze the microbiome. DJ-The general picture on the early stages of the pandemic already was not very good. With France, Spain, Italy finding cases (in retro spective) before China did see its first cases becoming known in the west.
	We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein