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The Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus was already circulating in Italy in September 2019, much earlier than previously thought, according to a study released this Sunday by the Milan Tumors Institute and the University of Siena
The research was published by the scientific journal Tumori Journal and was based on samples collected from 959 people who participated in a lung cancer detection campaign between September 2019 and March 2020.
An analysis in the blood of the participants showed that at least 111 (11.6%) already had antibodies to Sars-CoV-2. Of these 111, 14% participated in the screening campaign in September last year. So far, it was believed that the new coronavirus had begun to circulate in Italy in December.
Also according to the study, patients who had antibodies as early as September 2019 were from five regions: Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy and Veneto.
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