The novel coronavirus could have been in the U.S. as early as Dec. 13, 2019, according to a study by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, published Monday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, was based on 7,389 samples from nine states collected by the American Red Cross from Dec. 13 through Jan. 17 as blood donations, CNN reported.
At least 106 of those samples were found to have reactive antibodies for the coronavirus, including ones collected from California, Oregon and Washington from Dec. 13 through Dec. 16, CNN reported.
The first known U.S. case of the novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, was reported on Jan. 21.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. has roughly 13.6 million coronavirus cases and 269,000 related deaths — both tops globally — according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.