WHO studying evidence of coronavirus antibodies found in Italy dating back to late 2019 (4)

A medical staff member works in a COVID-19 unit at a hospital in Bologna, Italy, on March 10, 2021. (Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua)

In a bulletin dated Dec. 24, 2019, Italy's Health Ministry reported high levels of "unusual" strains of flu and pneumonia concentrated in the area around Milan and appearing in 17 of Italy's 20 regions.

On Jan. 7, 2020, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera ran an article about inflammation in patients apparently caused by the "Pneumococcus bacterium," but noted that some cases seemed to be caused by a virus. The article said some hospitals in Milan had to use extra beds to accommodate the unusually high number of patients.

On Thursday, INT researchers said there was no possibility that antibodies present in patients due to infections from other COVID-type viruses were mistaken for the coronavirus.