WHO studying evidence of coronavirus antibodies found in Italy dating back to late 2019 (3)

A medical worker works in the Department of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Center at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome, Italy, March 19, 2021. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Montomoli said the findings are important because they "help create a more accurate picture" of the virus' evolution, something he said both help confront the current pandemic and respond to a future pandemic more effectively.

"What we discovered does not prove anything on its own, but it is an important piece of a puzzle," he said.

A press official from the WHO only confirmed it was studying the findings from the INT when contacted by Xinhua.

There has been speculation in the Italian media that the presence of the coronavirus so much earlier could help explain reports of a particularly severe flu season in Milan between October and December 2019.