The novel coronavirus circulated in January in California, weeks earlier than thought, and early deaths were likely mistaken for the flu, a county health official said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian wearing a face mask plays ball with their dog in the parking lot of a closed Victoria Golf Course as authorities encourage social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Carson, California, U.S., April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon
News of the deaths in California could improve public health officials’ understanding of how the outbreak took hold in the United States. The county had previously identified its first case of community transmission - infectious spread among people who had not been to China or other early hot spots - on Feb. 28, Cody said. But none of the three patients who died had traveled.
The cases were likely “iceberg tips,” Cody said, indicating that many more people were also infected.
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