"A new study of antibody tests ... found evidence of SARS-CoV-2 disease in five states earlier than originally reported," it said.
As noted, research data suggests that the first cases of coronavirus in the United States began to appear as early as the end of December 2019.
According to the NIH, after processing more than 24,000 blood samples taken in 50 states and dating back to March 18, 2020, antibodies to COVID-19 were found in nine samples - in the states of Illinois, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Earlier, Dr. Stephen Quay and UC Berkeley physics professor Richard Mueller published an article claiming that SARS-CoV-2 has certain signs of laboratory origin.