Did You Already Have Coronavirus in January or February?
By Stephanie Pappas | Live Science Contributor

LIVE SCIENCE – April 28, 2020 | With the recent news that two Californians died of COVID-19 in February, three weeks earlier than the United States’ first known death from the disease, it has become clear that the coronavirus was spreading in the United States long before it was detected by testing.

(Image: © Shutterstock)

This fact might have you wondering if that weird cough or recurrent fever you had in late January or February was actually COVID-19. It’s not impossible, experts say, but it’s not necessarily likely, either. The virus was certainly circulating during that time. However, what is unknown is how prevalent it was, especially compared with the other respiratory viruses of winter.

“The initial introduction of the virus in the U.S. coincided with the peak of the flu season, so the symptoms you had, it would be difficult to untangle with flu,” said Matteo Chinazzi, an associate research scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, who is on a team that has been modeling the virus’ spread around the world.

COVID-19 Timeline
Was that Cough COVID-19?