"LONDON, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A number of people, mainly from the United States, have recounted their experiences on social media about novel coronavirus infections in late 2019, and many experts said that early suspected cases should be the emphasis of the next phase of the COVID-19 origin tracing.

More than 1,000 Twitter users reported that they or their family members and friends were infected with novel coronavirus in December 2019 or earlier, according to recent researches.

At least 100 of these users, who were authenticated with their real names, have seriously recounted their experiences about getting infected with the virus and being treated in hospitals. The symptoms they have described are very similar to those of the pneumonia disease caused by COVID-19.

"My wife and doctors are convinced I had covid 10/01/2019. It was horrendous, they didn't know what it was then. I was isolated in an ICU 10 days, low oxygen count, broken glass x-rays, viral and bacterial pneumonia they couldn't identify with multiple tests," Washington resident Jamie Kettenhofen said in a tweet on Dec. 22, 2020.

Another American Twitter user James Crewtocks tweeted on Dec. 8, 2020 that "Reckon I had COVID Nov/Dec 2019. Severe recurring fevers, respiratory issues (had to go A&E twice & put on a nebuliser each time), steroids, X-Ray found issue in one lung - most ill I've ever been. Felt that if I hadn't gone to A&E, that I wouldn't a woken up from my sleep."

"My son had viral reactive airway disease in December with pneumonia in both lungs," Detroit user Kelsey wrote on Twitter on Dec. 11, 2020. "He barely looked sick, but was actually very sick. He ended up in this hospital. Donated blood from 2019 shows covid antibodies, and now I'm 100% convinced that he had covid. He's totally fine now, this was last December," she added.

According to statistics, among those Twitter users worldwide, over 75 percent of them are from the United States, while the left come from other regions including Europe and South America."

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-08/10/c_1310117852.htm