Coronavirus Circulating In US Much Earlier Than Previously Thought, Model Shows

MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATIONTHAT MAY NEED TO BE TESTED ANDHE WILL PREACH VIRTUALLY THISSUNDAY.VIRUS MAY HAVE BEENCIRCULATING AROUND THE YOU HADMUCH EARLIER THEN PREVIOUSLYKNOWN ACCORD TO GO NEWMODELING.HEALTH REPORTER STEPHANIESTAHL IS HERE WITH DETAILS ONWHAT IS BEING CALLED THEHIDDEN EXPLOSION, STEPHANIE.REPORTER: UKEE, COULD YOUHAVE HAD IT?THAT IS WHAT MANY AREWONDERING PEOPLE WHO WERE SICKIN FEBRUARY MANY WITH THATLINGERING COUGH, COULD THATHAVE BEEN COVID-19?THE ANSWER IS, YES, ACCORD TOGO THIS NEW MODELING.COVID-19 WAS SPREADINGUNDETECT AT LEAST A MONTHBEFORE CASES WERE CONFIRMED,ACCORD TO GO NEW MODELING FROMNORTHEASTERN, UNIVERSITY THATIS BEING REPORTED, BY THE NEWYORK TIMES.WE HAD COMMUNITYTRANSMISSION PROBABLY TO ASIGNIFICANT DEGREE, BUT FAREARLIER THEN WE HAD KNOWN.REPORTER: NEW REPORTINGSAYS MARCH 1ST WHEN THERE WERE23 CONFIRMED CASES IN THEUNITED STATES THERE WEREACTUALLY THOUSANDS AND GOINGBACK TO EARLY FEBRUARY WHENFOCUS WAS ON CHINA THE VIRUSWAS SPREAD NOTHING PLACES LIKENEW YORK CITY, BOSTON ANDCHICAGO AND SEEDING INFECTIONSAROUND THE COUNTRY.REPORT SAYS VIRUS MOVED UNDERTHE RADAR SWIFTLY BECAUSEADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE WAS NOTIN PLACE.THAT IS A VERY INTERESTINGHYPOTHESIS THAT THERE WEREMANY CASES BEFORE THE FIRSTDIAGNOSED CASES WERE APPARENTAND SO WE WOULD BE PLACED TOLOOK AT THAT AND ANALYZE IT.REPORTER: OTHERS DOCTORSAND SCIENTISTS GIVE MORECREDIT TO THE NEW MODEL BUTLIKE ALL IT IS A ESTIMATE ANDTHIS INCLUDES PEOPLE THATEXPERIENCED MILD OR NOSYMPTOMS.SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVEBEEN INFECT?ANTIBODY TESTING BUT THERE AREACCURACY CONCERNS.ALSO, IF ANTIBODIES ARE DETECTDO THEY PROVIDE IMMUNITY?IF SO, FOR HOW LONG.AS DOCTOR LEVINE POINTS OUTTHE COMMON COLD IS A TYPE OFCORONAVIRUS AND PEOPLE CATCHCOLDS FREQUENTLY.UTILITY OF THE ANTIBODYTESTING IS NO THE CLEAR YETAND WE WILL DO FURTHERINVESTIGATIONS ON THAT.REPORTER: OFFICIALS SAYACCURATE ANTIBODY TESTING ANDDECREASE IN POSITIVE CASESWILL HELP DETERMINE WHEN IT ISSAFE TO LIFT RESTRICTIONS TO