According to a study conducted in Norway, the coronavirus was likely more widespread in Europe and across the globe in 2019. The study, conducted by scientists at Akershus University Hospital near Oslo, was published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection.

The study stated that a pregnant woman was likely infected at the end of November or the start of December of 2019, as a positive coronavirus result was identified in her blood sample taken on December 12, 2019.

The first COVID-19 cases identified in Europe were three imported cases in France on January 24, 2020. The latest findings; however, indicate that the virus had spread beyond China before 2020.  Anne Eskild, professor and chief physician at Akershus, stated that they noted that four out of 1,500 tests conducted among pregnant women were positive before the first case was identified in France… (CGTN, February 18, 2022)