美国科研人员在周一公布的一项政府主持的研究中指出，冠毒在美国的出现早于科学家和公共卫健官员早先的以为，也早于中国政府对冠毒病例的公开确认。

冠状病毒和其引发的病症首先于2019年12月份在中国武汉得到确认，但首个美国境内病例直到一月二十日才被确诊。

然而临床传染病学会在其杂志上新发表的研究结果认为，官名为萨斯二号的冠毒在以上的时段之前就已经感染了美国人。

得出以上新发现的研究团队认为: “萨斯二号也许在2019年12月就开始在美国传染，早于先前之认为。”

The coronavirus was present in the U.S. weeks earlier than scientists and public health officials previously thought, and before cases in China were publicly identified, according to a new government study published Monday.

The virus and the illness that it causes, COVID-19, were first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, but it wasn't until about Jan. 20 that the first confirmed COVID-19 case, from a traveler returning from China, was found in the U.S.

However, new findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest that the coronavirus, known officially as SARS-CoV-2, had infected people in the U.S. even earlier.

"SARS-CoV-2 infections may have been present in the U.S. in December 2019, earlier than previously recognized," the authors said.

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/01/940395651/coronavirus-was-in-u-s-weeks-earlier-than-previously-known-study-says?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social