They also found genetic evidence that supports suspicions the virus was infecting people in Europe, the US and elsewhere weeks or even months before the first official cases were reported in January and February. It will be impossible to find the "first" patient in any country, Balloux said.
And a reaction to the report today
"All viruses naturally mutate. Mutations in themselves are not a bad thing and there is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is mutating faster or slower than expected. So far we cannot say whether SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more or less lethal and contagious," Balloux said. "Just because these studies tell us these mutations are quickly spreading or becoming dominant doesn't mean anything except we know it happened. It doesn't actually tell us anything about what's happening biologically," Warmbrod told CNN.
