Researchers concluded in a report that the rapid COVID-19 outbreak in New York originated from Europe, not China.
According to the New York Post, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and NYU School of Medicine analyzed several strains of the virus that entered New York City but came up with the same results. In their findings, travelers from Europe who entered New York before the end of January most likely carried the virus, shortly after President Trump enforced limited travel to and from China. He later issued a travel ban to Europe on March 11.
RELATED STORIES: Bill O’Reilly Slammed For Saying Many Who Have Died From COVID-19 ‘Were On Their Last Legs Anyway’
Geneticist Dr. Harm van Bakel said “the majority is clearly European” and the research indicated that the outbreak began in mid-February, weeks before the first confirmed case in the state.
RELATED STORIES:Â BeBeWinans Confirms He, His Brother & Mother Contracted COVID-19
However, the virus needs to be tracked based on its history so researchers can develop a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus and its mutations. New York City currently has 82,000 confirmed cases and 6,400 deaths, making it the epicenter of the United States. There are more than 420,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the US and the current death toll is 14,300.