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March 05, 2020The coronavirus has entered Europe several times and the first outbreak could be the isolated one in January in Germany, in Munich. This is indicated by the genetic map published on the Netxstrain website, founded and directed by the group led by Trevor Bedford, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
The map, which reconstructs a sort of genealogical tree of the virus, indicates that the German outbreak could have silently fed the chain of infections to the point of being connected to many cases in Europe and in Italy.
By analyzing the pathway and genetic mutations of the coronavirus, the researchers found that it entered Europe several times. "Since February 1, about a quarter of new infections in Mexico, Finland, Scotland and Italy, like the first cases in Brazil, appear genetically similar to the Munich outbreak," notes Bedford.
Patient 1 from Munich showed the first symptoms on January 24, after meeting a colleague from Shanghai, who then tested positive. In the following four days, many employees of the same German company also tested positive. The case had become famous in late January as an example of the coronavirus's ability to spread even in the absence of symptoms. Although the company's headquarters had been closed after the first cases appeared, researchers believe that the Munich outbreak may have been linked to a good part of the epidemic in Europe, including Italy. "The important message - Bedford points out - is that the fact that an outbreak has been identified and contained does not mean that this case has not continued to feed a transmission chain that has not been detected until it has grown to the point of having substantial dimensions" .