It MIGHT have been here before Feb/March

[Whattodowhattodooo]

Just seen this tweet.

**A French Doctor has claimed that the virus was in France in December, a month before the first confirmed case.

Dr Cohen tested old blood samples for patients with respiratory symptoms and found a positive result.

This is worth investigating - it could be significant. - Prof Karol Sikora

Whilst it's France and not UK, I think the possibility should be investigated over here too. I am 99% sure my Dad had it beginning of January.

[Marcipex]

We were just saying that about my sil.

[Sweetpea84]

I’m sure I had it too at the beginning of January it took me weeks to get better. I had a cough but was just told it’s viral twice when I went to the doctors, I was weak and had a constant temperature and even lost my voice for 2 weeks never felt so ill in my life.

[Whattodowhattodooo]

My Dad had it for around 4 weeks. Hacking dry cough, chest pains, fever. Was given 2 courses of antibiotics as GP thought chest infection/mild pneumonia and it just petered out after the 4th week. When he went back at the end of Jan GP said "Oh well, must have been viral"

[Marcipex]

Exactly this.

[Elephantonascooter]

I am 99% sure I had it over Christmas. I've never been so unwell in all my life. It was awful. I felt like I had flu but not ifyswim.

[SarahTancredi]

I had something befire xmas that fitted the symptoms but could also have been other things

dry cough for days

Generally spaced out

Manage to keep working as the fogginess/ spaced out feeling kinda came and went

Skin felt like it was sunburnt I had to come home from school run and take everything off as wearing clothes just hurt.

Dd2 has had a cough for weeks and weeks

Parents have been unwell since xmas. Df reported loss if taste and smell. Both Have had coughs for weeks etc

[Keepdistance]

I think they need to check in bristol area.
As the infection rate is much lower here

[Whattodowhattodooo]

They need to get some decent antibody tests sharpish. I think/hope results might be surprising.

[M0recakeplease]

My friends teenage daughter believed that they had it in January - she commented at the time that she had s weird flu type bug (and they live in a twin which has had quite a few cases of late).

[M0recakeplease]

*town

[Methtones]

I mean, the GPs who said it was viral were right either way were they not?

[Bluntness100]

I also think this is possible. If it was confirmed in Wuhan from mid November, and it’s a highly mobile population I do not see a way where it didn’t impact EUROPE until January. As such I think it was already here by the end of 2020. Anything else is illogical.

[Itsjustmee]

Keepdistance
Why do you think that Bristol has a lower infection rate
I have family & friends there and they have all said the same

[Hairydilemma]

DH and DS has a really nasty thing over Christmas. I’m aware there are more viruses than COVID, obv, but the things that make me suspicious are:

DS had real barking ‘whooping cough’ type cough that went on for weeks

We went ice skating on NY Eve and DH had to stop as he was out of breath - obv he’d been ill but he is a fit cyclist and rarely gets out of breath, certainly not pootling round a tiny ice rink.

[Thighmageddon]

I've said I believe we had it the last week in December on many threads.

[JustHereWithMyPopcorn]

I think this is probably true.

[dancinfeet]

I agree, I had a weird flu type bug over Christmas, as did my younger daughter and friend. The same bug that meant that I had less than 50% of attendance in my dance classes for the 2 weeks before Christmas (something I have never had in 20 yrs of dance teaching). Acute headache for 2 days, dry cough, chest pains. Completely wiped out for first 2 weeks, and exhausted for about 6 weeks. Came down with it on boxing day, cough finally petered out by the end of feb. I know loads of people who had it. Would be very interested to take an antibody test if and when they become available.

[Deelish75]

Is it true that they now believe it started in Wuhan as early as mid November?

Last week (or maybe week before) weren’t British medics saying they believe it’s been in Britain since mid January?

There were daily flights from Wuhan to the U.K. and other parts of Europe up late January (maybe later). I would imagine it’s been in Europe since December onwards.

[goingoverground]

@Itsjustmee presumably Keepdistance means that the current infection rate is lower in Bristol possibly because there is a higher level of immunity there than other parts of the country because the epidemic started earlier in Bristol.

[StopGo]

DH and DS are both convinced they had it in December, I think they are correct. They were both very poorly with high temperature and horrible coughing etc. I hope a test becomes available

[Marpan]

We got it on a flight from gatwick at the end of January.

[dontdisturbmenow]

What doesn't make sense though is if people had it as early as before Xmas, went to their gp for treatment, howcome the gp didn't get it, and howcome they didn't pass it on to their other patients, yet suddenly the epidemic exploded in March. It doesn't make sense.

[BakedCam]

I have always suspected it was affecting people in late November, early December. Similar symptoms that were put down to a chest infection with antibiotics. Be interested to see where this goes.

[QuitMoaning]

I was very ill end of January with a cough and chest infection. I even went to the GP for the first time in 10 years with it.

The only reason I am doubting it is COVID, is because over January and February and into March, I was commuting to London and working in an open plan office, seeing lots of friends and family and none of them have got it. If it is as contagious as is meant to be then surely someone would have caught it from me?

[Thighmageddon]

None of us visited our Gp.

We couldn't even climb off the sofa without difficulty let alone leave the house.

I've read countless stories of people at the end of last year developing pneumonia unexpectedly, more than would be expected.

I'm hoping all this will come out in an enquiry.

I did have a blood test the week after I went back to work and I'd like to see my results, not sure why really but it'd help me mentally.