Leading French researchers, including experts from Avicenne Hospital, reanalyzed archived PCR tests once ruled negative, uncovering the earliest confirmed COVID-19 case in Europe from December 27, 2019—weeks before China's WHO alert. Some evidence even suggests cases as far back as November, exposing critical delays in France's public health response.
In late April 2020, Institut Pasteur researchers reported COVID-19 circulation in France from mid-January. Yet the first official case was an 80-year-old traveler from China's Hubei province, arriving in Paris on January 23, 2020. A June 1, 2020, Euronews article highlighted groundbreaking findings: the earliest patient dates to December 2019.
Professor Yves Cohen, head of intensive care at Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, led the effort. His team reviewed all PCR tests from December 16 to January 16 for pneumonia patients initially negative for COVID-19. Among 14 samples, one tested positive—from a patient admitted on December 27, 2019. This marks the oldest biologically confirmed case in France and Europe, predating China's WHO notification by about a month and underscoring the delayed global alert.
Professor Cohen notes official French cases emerged late January, with the crisis escalating late February to early March. He posits the virus circulated since December, extending the outbreak timeline by roughly one month. This insight urges faster governmental action in future pandemics, enabling rapid measures at the first signs.
Patient zero may predate December 2019. A May 17, 2020, Le Parisien report detailed analysis by Albert-Schweitzer Hospital doctors in Colmar, Haut-Rhin. Reviewing thousands of scans, they identified abnormalities typical of COVID-19 from November 2019—a region that later became a French epicenter.
Laurent Gerbaud, head of public health at Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, critiques France's health system for missing early signals. He advocates a national alert system linking intensive care units and populations for swifter emergency responses.
