World coronavirus dispatch: How a Wuhan lab got mired in global blame-game

In a curious development, French scientists claim to have identified a coronavirus case dating back to December, about a month before the first cases were officially confirmed in Europe

In a rather peculiar development, French scientists say they may have identified a possible case of the new coronavirus dating back to December — about a month before the first cases were officially confirmed in Europe. The patient, who has since recovered, said he had no idea where he caught the virus, as he had not travelled abroad. France is not the only country where subsequent testing points to earlier cases. Two weeks ago, a post-mortem examination carried out in California revealed that the first coronavirus-related death in the US was almost a month earlier than previously thought.