Virus was in Italy in Dec

MILAN: Scientists in Italy have found traces of the coronavirus in wastewater collected from Milan and Turin in December 2019 - suggesting Covid-19 was circulating in north Italy before China reported the first cases.

The Italian National Institute of Health (INIH) looked at 40 sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants in northern Italy between October 2019 and February 2020.

An analysis said samples taken in Milan and Turin on December 18 showed the presence of the virus. “This research may help us understand the beginning of the circulation of the virus in Italy,” said Giuseppina La Rosa, an expert at the INIH.