The latest research published yesterday evening by the journal Science has refuted earlier claims that the earliest incidence of the virus in the United States has disappeared, and has instead found that at least seven different strains of the virus have been circulating in California since the early days. days of the epidemic, suggesting that the epidemic in the United States did not have a single source, but rather evolved from a large number of travelers spreading the virus in the United States. As we noted earlier, new satellite data suggests that the virus appeared in Wuhan much earlier than Beijing recognized it.
Analysis revealed that cases of the disease, including travelers from Europe and Asia, spread to Washington and California, before the virus spread from these states to the rest of the country, although that it is probably fair to assume that a number of different strains have traveled to New York.
“Although the sample size is small, this study suggests that there may have been several introductions of the virus into the United States,” said Brandon Brown, associate professor of population in social medicine and public health at ‘University of California at Riverside. UPI“The results may in fact leave more questions than answers regarding the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States,” he added. Brown participated in the study.
The study published in Science was conducted by a team of California public health officials and international researchers who analyzed viral samples from 36 patients spanning nine counties and the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked in the bay. from San Francisco in March after an epidemic on board.
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Detailed genetic analysis revealed that at least seven different strains of SARS-CoV-2 have spread to California, and these strains have shown some overlap with Washington State.
The press has positioned the survey as a support for monitoring contacts. But many are skeptical about the usefulness of the technique at this stage of the game …
There was no “predominant lineage” and limited transmission between communities within the state, they added.
Overall, the results “support contact tracing, social distance and travel restrictions to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in California and other states,” said the authors.
“Initially we focused on preventing the introduction of the virus through travel, but we soon began to understand the prevalence of the virus in the community among those who had not traveled,” said Brown.
“This study illustrates the multiple possible introductions of the virus into northern California, which makes it more difficult to control spread.”
… Particularly because the WHO has recognized that asymptomatic cases do not play as important a role in the spread of the virus as we previously thought.