Dave Wayne wrote:Sandy Pate Best Stag wrote:You can’t confirm an infection if you don’t test for it.
If testing didn’t start until February, how can you confirm an infection in December? Anti body testing wasn’t developed until much later and can’t tell when the infection was contracted so I can’t see how you can say the infection 100% wasn’t here earlier.
Samples that are held of people with covid-like symptoms have been tested by various research groups and no sample has tested positive for Covid from anyone who hadn't travelled abroad prior to the lady whose sample from late February tested positive.
If the virus was here in December in the numbers people are claiming on social media there would be samples that would have tested positive on retesting. This hasn't happened.
I had symptoms at the end of January which, despite your assertions, I am convinced was covid. No-one took a sample from me nor I suspect the thousands of others in the same situation. The Mansfield area was rampant with illness at that point so could it have been covid and also account for why the town has been near the bottom of official infection rates since?
Perhaps a round of anti body testing in the area would show the truth of the situation but that costs money and more importantly precious resources. Either way, we don’t know for sure and should keep an open mind and not stick rigidly to untested beliefs.