Italy (Giovanni Apolone): "Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy"; SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals...

starting from September 2019 (14%)"; did you read that? September 2019 and thus circulation had be be taking place even before this, let us say at least 2-3 weeks so potentially August 2019

See substack below on Free book for Christmas.

Begin here:

‘Our results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 circulated in Italy earlier than the first official COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in Lombardy, even long before the first official reports from the Chinese authorities, casting new light on the onset and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.’

This raises serious questions on the shape and initiation of the pandemic.

SOURCE:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300891620974755

“There are no robust data on the real onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and spread in the prepandemic period worldwide. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)–specific antibodies in blood samples of 959 asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a prospective lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 to track the date of onset, frequency, and temporal and geographic variations across the Italian regions.

SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (>30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy. This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic.”