Could deadly bug have been here before January?

THE first case of coronavirus in Australia might have been earlier than originally suspected with authorities looking to re-test samples of some deceased as far back as the start of December.

The first documented COVID-19 infection case was on January 19 with a traveller returning to Melbourne from coronavirus ground zero city Wuhan in China.

But News Corp Australia has learned authorities are COVID-19 testing some patients who died more than a month earlier, where the cause of death was not clear or branded “pneumonia” and no underlying illness identified.

Last week the family of Melbourne salesman Matthew (surname withheld), who died unexpectedly on December 7 and was cremated 10 days later, was told a sample would be tested for COVID-19. A preliminary test has returned as negative for coronavirus.

The Melbourne Coroner’s court said yesterday a test for coronavirus was an option now for some cases.

“A coroner may direct forensic tests to be conducted at any point in an investigation to determine cause of death, if samples are available,” a spokeswoman said.

“To date there have been no deaths from coronavirus reported to the Court.”

The coroner confirmed Matthew’s case remains under investigation.

The federal Health Department said it was not aware authorities were looking at dated cases with the possibility there could have been earlier COVID-19 victims.

For the family of Matthew, who died in his home in Pascoe Vale, knowing a cause has been important. The cause of death for the keen golfer had been put down as pneumonia.

Two weeks before he died he told his partner he thought he had the flu. He had not been overseas but had mixed with friends who had been abroad.