The first Coronavirus case has been suspected since November in China

A man from the province of Hubei, China, may have been the first person to contract the Coronavirus in November 2019, according to a new report.

According to New York Post 55-year-old allegedly contracted COVID-19 on November 17th.

Chinese authorities have so far identified at least 266 persons who were infected last year, some of the cases are likely to date from that time, after health authorities tested champions obtained from suspected patients.

The medical community says that Chinese doctors realized they were dealing with a new disease in late December.

Of November 17 and beyond, 1-5 new cases were reported daily in China, while on December 27th, the doctor from the U.S. Provincial Hospital, Zhang Yixian, confirmed to health authorities about a virus.

By then, more than 180 people were infected, although doctors may not have been aware of any case at the time.

Scientists are reportedly trying to identify the patient with zero while it can help them confirm the source of the virus. At present it is suspected that the infection was passed on to humans through an animal, perhaps a bat.