Was Covid19 already in the U.S. even as early as November of 2019?

Question

A friend of mine said he got sick for 2 weeks around Thanksgiving of 2019. The Doctors couldn't figure out what it was.

Answer 1

We don't know.  At least I don't know.  We do have good evidence that it was in China at that time, and if it was, it could certainly have traveled to the US in quite soon.  But we have no way of testing to find out whether they had it back then.  My daughter also was sick for 2 weeks in December and January. 

The government of China is now trying to say that COVID-19 started in the USA and was brought to China by travelers.  This would not explain why China was having huge outbreaks with millions locked down in cities and forbidden to travel while the USA only had a normal amount of illness for the season.  

Answer 2

The Stanford University, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Southern California researchers (separately not the same study) believe that Covid-19 was in the California in early December and might date back to early October.

The 2019-2020 flu season was a respiratory based flu. 

And although covid was likely in the US in Fall 2019, it wasn't wide spread.  We can see this because the 2019-2020 season flu death numbers are low and that wouldn't be the case if covid was being miscategorized as the flu.

Answer 3

yes, there is some suspicion. We saw many people in the UC with a flu-like illness. They are attempting to back test stored blood samples for the virus to test that theory.

Answer 4

I believe that's true.  We had 6 people out with the "flu" (not tested) for longer periods of time than normal and they came back worn out.  Covid itself wasn't identified and named until very early January 2020.

Answer 5

My wife got what her doctor called Flu with mild bronchitis, she lost her sense of taste and smell. That was August 2019.