新冠肺炎时间线：研究显示多国疫情首次出现时间点或大幅提前

根据美国约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的数据，目前全球新冠肺炎确诊病例已超过1200万， 死亡病例超过55万。

There are now over 12 million confirmed COVID-19 cases globally, with over 550,000 fatalities, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.

7月9日，世界卫生组织宣布成立一个独立小组，对该组织领导下的全球新冠疫情应对工作进行评估。

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday it was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments.

自中国去年12月31日首次向世界卫生组织报告确诊病例以来，新冠肺炎这一全新、未知的疾病已经引发了一场全球性的公共卫生危机，影响了人类生活的方方面面。

随着全球对新冠肺炎疫情研究的不断深入，多个国家的疫情发展时间线可能被改写，出现确诊病例以及疫情本地传播的时间点可能被大幅提前。

The current timeline for the COVID-19 pandemic begins with a cluster of viral pneumonia cases that were found in Wuhan in late December 2019, and were reported to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019. However, as scientists continue to check samples going back through the year, there has been evidence to suggest the virus was moving around as early as March 2019. 

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西班牙 ：2019年3月12日采集的废水中检测出新冠病毒

6月26日，西班牙巴塞罗那大学发布公告称该校一个研究小组在去年3月12日采集的巴塞罗那废水样本中检测出新冠病毒。这比西班牙报告其国内首例确诊病例的时间提前了11个月。

A research team from the University of Barcelona, one of Spain's most prestigious universities, said on June 26 that they had detected traces of the novel coronavirus in wastewater samples collected on March 12, 2019, 11 months before the first COVID-19 case was reported in the country. 

法国：胸片分析结果显示该国病例最早可追溯至2019年11月16日

5月7日，位于法国东部城市科尔马的阿尔贝·施韦泽医院发表公告称，该院医学影像部负责人米歇尔·施密特重新研究了去年11月1日到今年4月30日拍摄的所有胸片底片，总计2456张。研究结果显示，当地最早出现带有典型新冠肺炎症状的病例可追溯至去年11月16日。而此前官方通报科尔马当地出现首例确诊病例是在今年2月25日。

Albert Schweitzer Hospital of Colmar in eastern France announced on May 7 that they've found that the earliest cases involving typical COVID-19 symptoms in the country can be traced back to November 16. The first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in Colmar on February 25.

巴西：2019年11月27日采集的废水样本中检测出新冠病毒

7月2日，巴西圣卡塔琳娜联邦大学发表的一份研究报告显示，由该校领衔的一个研究小组在圣卡塔琳娜州首府弗洛里亚诺波利斯市去年11月27日采集的废水样本中检测出新冠病毒。这比美洲确诊首例新冠病例的时间提前了大约2个月，比巴西确诊首例新冠病例的时间提前了大约3个月。

An analysis of sewage water samples from last November in Florianopolis, the capital and second-largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, was found to contain traces of the novel coronavirus, a research group from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) of Brazil announced on July 2. The finding is two months earlier than the first official confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Americas on January 21, and three months earlier than the first reported case in Brazil at the end of February. 

意大利：2019年12月18日采集的废水样本中检测出了新冠病毒遗传物质

6月18日，意大利高等卫生研究院发表声明表示，该研究院环境与水质卫生监测等部门专家分析了去年10月至今年2月间收集的40个城市废水样本，结果在去年12月18日取样的米兰市和都灵市废水中检测到了新冠病毒的遗传物质。而意大利首次宣布发现新冠确诊病例的时间是今年1月30日。

Genetic material from the novel coronavirus was detected in samples collected from sewage in Milan and Turin on December 18, according to an announcement released on June 18 by Istituto Superiore di Sanità, one of the leading institutions of the Italian National Health Service. The country's first COVID-19 case was reported on January 30. 

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