Coronavirus: Patients in Florida had symptoms as early as Jan 1, when the disease was thought

[MelissaB]

Coronavirus Florida: Patients in Florida had symptoms as early as January

Florida on Monday night removed data from the Department of Health website that showed 171 patients had coronavirus symptoms or positive test results in January and February, before any cases were announced to the public.

The novel coronavirus infected as many as 171 people in Florida as long as two months before officials announced it had come to the state, a Palm Beach Post analysis of state records shows.

Patients reported symptoms of the deadly virus as early as Jan. 1, when the disease was thought to be limited to China, Department of Health records reveal. The records don’t say if patients reported those symptoms to the state until months later or if local offices of the health department actively investigated the illnesses at the time or a combination of both.

The state pulled the records off its website late Monday without explanation.

... snip

— A 4-year-old Duval County girl started feeling symptoms or had her first positive test on Jan. 1. The state did not officially record her case until April 8.

— An 84-year-old Palm Beach County man who had not traveled, but was hospitalized, had symptoms or a positive result on Feb. 5. But his case was not added to Florida’s coronavirus tally until April 3.

More: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200505/coronavirus-florida-patients-in-florida-had-symptoms-as-early-as-january

[MelissaB]

1. A little more...

There are many more examples, and I suggest clicking the article.

Even though the disease was thought confined to China before January, most of the early patients hadn’t traveled: 103 reported no travel while just 52 said they had.

None reported traveling to China

[mcar]

2. I'm not surprised

But I am

[diane in sf]

3. I believe I had it starting on Dec. 27th and other people in this town had similar symptoms during

the holidays and January. We're in the SF Bay Area, so lots of different possibilities as to infection sources.

[zipplewrath]

4. Mid December

I know a guy in Orlando that feels he and his daughter had it in mid-december after attending a wedding in Detroit. Had many of the symptoms. Dry cough, fever, difficulty breathing for a couple of weeks, and extreme fatigue for 3 weeks. I'm really suspicious that maybe 30% or more of Floridians have already been exposed.

[spinbaby]

8. Trouble is we won't know without testing

I have a friend in Florida who thinks he was exposed when a couple in his retirement community came back from a trip to China in December. Trouble is that we don’t know for sure without testing. My grandson was sick after going to Disney World in February. Corona or some random childhood crap? We don’t know without testing.

[Tree-Hugger]

5. My mom

My mom died on January 1 this year. Sometimes, I wonder. She developed a respiratory bug in December. I last saw her December 28th and she was not well. She was in the hospital the next day, coded and put on the vent on the 31st, and passed on the 1st. Her radiographs of lungs were horrible, the doc said, leading them to think her chronic leukemia had become something more acute. My mom had a lot of health issues, including weakened lungs from many illnesses. Her death was still a shock. We'll never have any way of knowing, but sometimes I do wonder if she had it.

A friend of mine was sick with one hell of a fever and respiratory bug at the end of January into February. And she had been in Disney with it. Her symptoms sound so much like Covid, but at that point super President said it was all under control.

[obamanut2012]

6. SOFL here, and I am almost 100% sure I had it, starting January 5

My doctor's office has me on a list for an antibody test, because they also think I had it, along with some other patients.

My Dad helped me move a wardrobe, and he had it about nine days later. He is also on our doctor's list.

[bedazzled]

7. Think i had it in palm beach middle of January

I am used to respiratory problems but it was horrific. Never been so sick. Several other people where i worked got sick too. Thank god my family didnt seem to catch it. I am in retail and one of my coworkers had reconstructive surgery after being hit by a train, was at hospital for problems with it and brought it to work i guess

[Roland99]

9. One of my wife's best friends contracted some unknown respiratory illness in London in Jan.

She ended up in the hospital here for a few weeks. Still has lost some capacity in one lung.

Very healthy previously. Ran 5k/10k races all the time. She can’t hardly walk a mile now on her own.

[NightWatcher]

10. My family passed around a rough chest cold w fever at thanksgiving last year.

My aunt will here back from her antibody test soon and I'd wager we all had it.

On edit: I'm in Duval Co (Jacksonville), Fl too.

[roamer65]

11. I think it started in China mid to late October.

It came over on a plane sometime in early to mid November.

[lpbk2713]

12. One weekend about six weeks ago I was a little achey all over.

Didn't have any other symptoms. If that was it I consider myself very lucky.

I'm in Central Florida and in the "at risk" category. I'm 76 yo and have a cardiac history.

[LizBeth]

13. Are the flu death numbers high this year? I am considering deaths and they not be assigned to c19.

[LizBeth]

14. Jan 6 the whole front desk went down. Just us. We all work close. One would get sick

and we would pull out disinfectant. We had varying symptoms and lengths, but it wasn't like people saying healing was a month or anything. I think ours came from China strain, which is different from NY and Europe.

Anyway, I think that will be the conversation I have when work calls. I want the test first to see if I have already had it. I would be much more comfortable going back to work. As it is, I am not comfortable going back to work. Face to face with customers.

[uponit7771]

15. K&R, I BET some of these people were from Kansas City !!!

[ProfessorGAC]

16. On CNN, Report That England Got Hit...

...in December or early January with viruses arriving from Europe, not China.
That suggests the disease hit Europe far earlier than thought.
That's why the east coast & NY got creamed.
Gigantic amount of traffic to & from Europe in NY, Boston, DC, Philly, Atlanta, etc.
Same with Chicago in the Midwest.
Turns out the "heroic" act of shutting down China travel to the US (sort of) may have done practically nothing!