Sewage study shows virus may have been in Italy in December
The Italian National Institute of Health's research suggests COVID-19 was in the country before China reported its first case
Researchers in Italy have found traces of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater collected from Milan and Turin in December 2019 — suggesting COVID-19 was already circulating in northern Italy before China reported the first cases.
The Italian National Institute of Health looked at 40 sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants in northern Italy between October 2019 and February 2020.
An analysis released last week said samples taken in Milan and Turin on 18 December showed the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“This research may help us understand the beginning of virus circulation in Italy,” said Giuseppina La Rosa, an expert in environmental wastewater at the institute who co-led the research.
