New Waste Water Study: Coronavirus Was Already In Italy By December

The novel coronavirus that emanated from Wuhan, China and spread like wildfire across the globe caught many countries by surprise. In Europe, Italy soon became the region’s epicenter for the virus.

According to a new National Institute of Health (ISS) study of sewage water in Milan and Turin, there were traces of the virus’s presence in the waste water as early as December.

Italy said the first case of the virus was discovered in Mid-February. The hospitals were quickly overwhelmed leading to sweeping lockdown orders.

Since then, nearly 34,514 people have died from the virus throughout the country, according to Johns Hopkins. The official death tolls were possibly lower than the actual fatality numbers because of a lack of testing, according to Sara A. Carter’s reporting.

China’s secrecy about the virus contributed to the situation in Italy and other countries across the globe. Moreover, some say the virus was present in the country earlier than what the world was told, some reports suggesting it could’ve been there as early as November.