This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
Early Coronavirus Case in France? ¶
Weeks before Chinese authorities acknowledged human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus, a 42-year-old fishmonger in suburban Paris showed up at a hospital on December 27, 2019, coughing, feverish, and having trouble breathing.
Doctors in France now say that this patient, Amirouche Hammar, may have been the earliest known coronavirus case in Europe, nearly a month before the first officially recorded cases in the continent.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, the case of Mr. Hammar would mean the deadly virus made an appearance on the continent long before officials there began tackling it.
The French government has confirmed that it is looking at the report and is in contact with scientists and experts from other countries on the timeline of the spread of the virus.
Dr. Yves Cohen, head of intensive care at the Avicenne and Jean Verdier hospitals, said, 'It was already there in December.' However, the exact source of the virus remains unclear.
Experts have warned that the case could not be directly tied to France's current outbreak without further analysis.
Samuel Alizon, an infectious diseases and epidemics specialist at the CNRS, said, 'It is quite possible that there were isolated cases that led to transmission chains that died down.'
Frédéric Keck, a biosecurity expert at CNRS, added, 'We never really know when an epidemic starts.'
