Scientists from the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid have revealed findings from studies on the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Spain. Studying the genetic make-up of the virus in the very first patients to be diagnosed, researchers have ruled out the theory that there was a ‘patient zero’ who caused the dramatic outbreak throughout the country.
The team of scientists have studied nearly 1,600 different varieties of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and discovered that the earliest cases could be traced back to late January, much earlier than previously thought.
On 23rd February, Fernando Simón, the director of the Health Ministry’s Coordination Centre for Health Alerts, stated that “the virus is not in Spain, nor is the disease being transmitted, nor do we currently have any cases.” But it would appear that by that point the virus was already spreading a number of people.
Research has also shown that in the majority of cases, the cases of coronavirus in Spain are all of very similar types, which is good news, according to biochemist Francisco Diez.
Of the 28 different complete genomes detected, they could be split into three types, S, G and V. The identification of these types and their similarities, along with the discovery of very few mutations, means that developing a vaccine is not as potentially complicated as it could be.
The research showed that the origin of the disease was the Chinese city of Wuhan around 24th November, as has already been found. Similar strains of the virus were then detected in Valencia on 26th and 27th February, a week after the Champions League tie between Atalanta and Valencia, dubbed a ‘biological bomb‘, took place in Milan. However strains of the virus were traced on mainland Spain before the game was played, as early as 14th February, leading scientists to rule out the match was the initial cause of the infection.
It was well documented the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Spain was 1st February, from a German tourist on the island of La Gomera who had recently attended a training course in Munich with a Chinese colleague who had family in Wuhan.