Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 13, 2021

Before the Surge Molecular Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in New York City Prior to the First Report

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[pre-print; not peer-reviewed] SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in pooled nasopharyngeal specimens collected from 3,040 people in New York City in the week ending January 25, 2020, suggesting that the virus was present in the city a month before the first officially documented case. The authors were also able to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between seven complete genomes found in samples banked in February and March 2020, finding four distinct lineages of the virus, which suggests multiple independent introductions of SARS-CoV-2 into the city.

Hernandez et al. (Feb 11, 2021). Before the Surge Molecular Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in New York City Prior to the First Report. Pre-print downloaded Feb 12 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.08.21251303