Despite Beijing’s attempt to shirk responsibility for the worldwide pandemic, the first cases of infection in over 20 countries and regions were spread from the city of Wuhan, according to various media and government sources.
The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus, has plunged the world into a crisis, but Chinese authorities are trying to deny that the virus originated in Wuhan. In fact, the first confirmed patients in 23 countries and regions around the world came from or had traveled to the city before the onset of their illness.
The countries and regions are: Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, France, Nepal, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Cambodia, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Finland, India, Philippines, Italy, Sweden, and Belgium.
Based on various media reports, all of these cases were diagnosed before or within 14 days of the Wuhan lockdown. Most were Wuhan residents, while the others had travelled to the city before arriving in another country.
Thailand
On Jan. 13, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health announced the country’s first confirmed infection case. The patient was a 61-year-old woman from Wuhan who arrived at the Bangkok International Airport as a tourist on Jan. 8, where she was found to have a high fever. She was then admitted to the hospital on the same day.Japan
The first confirmed case in Japan was discovered in Kanagawa Prefecture on Jan. 16. The patient was a Chinese man in his 30s. He developed a fever in Wuhan on Jan. 3, arrived in Japan three days later, and then was hospitalized on Jan. 10.South Korea
On Jan. 20, South Korea reported its first confirmed case. The patient, a 35-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, was quarantined upon arrival at Incheon International Airport on Jan. 19 due to high fever and other symptoms. She had developed a fever the day before she travelled.United States
On Jan. 21, the United States announced that its first confirmed patient was a 30-year-old man from Washington state. He had returned to Seattle from Wuhan on Jan. 15. He checked into a local medical institution on Jan. 19, and was diagnosed with the virus the next day.Taiwan
On Jan. 21, Taiwan confirmed its first case: a 55-year-old Taiwanese businesswoman who returned from Wuhan by plane on Jan. 20. Because she had a fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other symptoms, the airport quarantine personnel arranged for her medical treatment.Macau
Macau reported its first case on Jan. 21. A tourist from Wuhan who had gone to Macau to gamble developed symptoms, and was later diagnosed with the virus.Hong Kong
On Jan. 22, Hong Kong confirmed its first case. A Chinese male passenger was found to have symptoms of fever at West Kowloon Station after entering Hong Kong by high-speed train from Shenzhen on the evening of Jan. 21. He was sent to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with the virus. The man had previously been in Wuhan.Singapore
On Jan. 23, a 66-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan was confirmed to be infected with the virus, the first confirmed case in Singapore. The man had arrived in the country with his family on Jan. 20. He developed a fever, cough, and other symptoms and went to the Singapore General Hospital for treatment on Jan. 22.Vietnam
On Jan. 23, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health said a Chinese father and his son son was diagnosed with the CCP virus. The father had traveled from Wuhan to Hanoi to visit his son who lives in Long An Province. Together they had visited Ho Chi Minh City and other places in Vietnam. They both developed a fever, and were admitted to Cho Ray Hospital on Jan. 22.France
On Jan. 24, the French Ministry of Health confirmed three virus cases. The first confirmed case was a 49-year-old Chinese-French man living in Bordeaux who had travelled to Wuhan and returned to Paris on Jan. 22. He went to see a doctor on Jan. 23.The second confirmed patient, who lives in Paris, had also traveled to Wuhan before becoming ill. And the third case is a family member of the second patient.
Nepal
On Jan. 24, Nepalese health officials announced that a Nepalese student studying in Wuhan was diagnosed with the virus after returning to Nepal. This was the first confirmed case in the country.Australia
On Jan. 25, Australia confirmed its first patient—a Chinese man in his 50s. He arrived in Melbourne from Wuhan via Guangzhou on a China Southern Airlines flight.Canada
Officials from Toronto Public Health announced the country’s first case at a press conference on Jan. 25. A man in his 50s had developed a fever and other symptoms on Jan. 23 after returning from Wuhan.Malaysia
On Jan. 25, Malaysia’s Ministry of Health announced the country’s first confirmed cases: a couple and their two children, all from Wuhan.Cambodia
On Jan. 27, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health confirmed the country’s first case. The patient was a Chinese man who came with his family from Wuhan to the coastal city of Sihanoukville. The man left Wuhan on Jan. 23, and developed a fever on Jan. 25.Germany
Germany confirmed its first CCP virus case on Jan. 27—an employee of auto parts maker Webasto, at its Stockdorf headquarters. The man had attended a business meeting with a Chinese female colleague from Shanghai on Jan. 21. The woman felt ill on the flight home on Jan. 23. Although she lives in Shanghai, her parents from Wuhan had visited her prior to her business trip to Germany.United Arab Emirates
On Jan. 29, the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the first confirmed cases in the country—a Chinese family of four from Wuhan who arrived as tourists on Jan. 16.Finland
Finland announced on Jan. 30 that its first confirmed case was a Chinese tourist. The 32-year-old woman was being treated in isolation at the Lapland Central Hospital for five days after she left Wuhan.India
An Indian student studying in Wuhan was confirmed as India’s first CCP virus case, the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a public statement on Jan. 30. The student had been studying at Wuhan University and returned home to Kerala in Southern India.Philippines
On Jan. 30, the Philippines’ Ministry of Health announced the country’s first case: a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan. The woman arrived in Manila on Jan. 21 via Hong Kong. Her companion, a 44-year-old man from Wuhan, was also infected and later passed away on Feb. 2.Italy
Italy confirmed its first cases of the CCP virus on Jan. 31—a Chinese couple who came as tourists. They had left Wuhan the day before the lockdown and arrived at Milan international airport on Jan. 23 with a Chinese tour group. A few days later, the couple developed a fever and cough. On Jan. 30, their conditions deteriorated, and they were diagnosed with the virus after seeking medical treatment. It was later revealed that the 65-year-old woman had been the Dean of School of Chinese language and Literature at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, and her 66-year-old husband had been a senior engineer in biochemistry before he retired.Sweden
On Jan. 31, Swedish officials confirmed their country’s first case: a woman who had traveled to Wuhan and developed a cough after returning to Sweden.Belgium
On Feb. 4, Belgium’s Ministry of Health issued a public notice which said that only one out of the nine Belgians who were evacuated from Wuhan on Feb. 2 tested positive for the virus.Additional Cases: Sri Lanka and Russia
In addition to the above mentioned 23 countries and regions, Sri Lanka and Russia have also reported their countries’ first infections as having links to China.On Jan. 27, the first patient diagnosed in Sri Lanka was a 43-year-old woman from Hubei Province.
On Jan. 31, Russia announced its first two confirmed cases, but only revealed that the patients were two Chinese nationals.
Earliest Report of CCP Virus
According to a leaked internal document cited by the South China Morning Post, a case of the CCP virus was reported in Wuhan as early as Nov. 17, 2019. But the Chinese authorities covered up the severity of the outbreak and said the situation was under control. It wasn’t until Jan. 20 that the authorities confirmed the virus can spread via human-to-human transmission. Then on Jan. 23, Wuhan authorities announced that the entire city was under lockdown.Wuhan Exodus Before Lockdown
On Jan. 28, Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang admitted that more than 5 million people had already left the city before the lockdown.Many people had left Wuhan before Jan. 20 to vacation during the Chinese New Year holiday or to visit family in other parts of the country, and many more rushed to leave the city before the lockdown. The main destinations inside China were Beijing, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. Tracking data showed that 124,000 people went to Guangdong province.
Mainland media also reported that hundreds of thousands of people had flown to other parts of the world from Wuhan before the city was quarantined. On international routes, more than 7,000 people from Wuhan flew directly to Hong Kong during that period; 7,500 flew to Taiwan; and more than 20,000 flew to Bangkok, Thailand. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the data.
