This dates back to November 17th, more than a month earlier than doctors noted cases in Wuhan in late December. If they can find the earliest cases, they may be able to confirm the animal host where the virus lurks. Even with this November 17th case identified, doctors can’t be certain the individual is “patient zero”, the first to have been infected. Scientists tracking the coronavirus spread believe for every confirmed case, there are most likely another five to 10 people in the community with undetected infections. But confirmed cases, however, may be relative to different rates of testing in different countries.

Source: The Irish Times March 17, 2020 13:00 UTC