Most New York COVID-19 Cases <br />Came From Europe, Says New Study The research was conducted <br />by geneticists at the <br />Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The research found that the coronavirus <br />was in circulation in New York in mid-Feb., <br />weeks before the first known case was confirmed. It found that the virus was brought <br />to New York mostly by travelers <br />from Europe, not from Asia. This reveals that the lack of <br />early testing procedures in the <br />U.S. helped perpetuate the second-largest <br />outbreak in the world. When testing was implemented in the U.S., <br />it was limited only to travelers from Asia. This <br />also added to the massive spread of the coronavirus. As of Thursday morning, almost <br />150,000 cases had been reported in New York. <br />Currently, only Spain has more cases. Dr. Adriana Heguy, NYU, via 'The New York Times' Because viruses mutate at a consistent pace, <br />scientists are able to track when and where <br />a new strain of coronavirus mutation emerged. They do this by studying the genome <br />of a virus. Their research is uploaded <br />to an online database known as GISAID. Scientists describe these distinct versions <br />of the coronavirus as branches of a family tree, <br />the origin of which likely developed in China <br />over the course of several years or even decades. Seven lineages of the virus <br />circulating in New York have been identified. <br />Researchers believe there are more.
