An Australian security company has reported that purchases of PCR tests in China’s Hubei Province surged months before the first official reports of a coronavirus case there.
Orders for the PCR test soared before the first confirmed COVID case, the research company Internet 2.0.claimed.
Based on their findings in the report ‘Procuring for a Pandemic’, Internet 2.0 concluded that it had “high confidence that the pandemic began much earlier than China informed the WHO about Covid-19.” The cybersecurity firm, which specializes in digital forensics and intelligence analysis, called for further investigation.
“Public assessment of the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic has focused heavily on public statements and interviews. Internet 2.0, specializing in digital forensics and intelligence analysis, has instead elected to evaluate information on actions undertaken by the Government of China. This study has no insights into the origins of COVID-19, however, we have come to the conclusion that based on the data analysed, it suggests the virus was highly likely to be spreading virulently in Wuhan, China as early as the summer of 2019, and definitely by the early Autumn,” the report stated.
Source: Bloomberg Internet 2.0 analysis of Hubei PCR contract data
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PCR Testing Equipment Deals
The value of PCR testing equipment contracts in Hubei province from 2019 was worth more than in 2018 and 2017 combined
Internet 2.0. whose analysis team includes former officials from U.S. and British intelligence agencies, say they collected and analyzed data from a website that aggregates information on public procurement bids in China.
About 67.4 million yuan ($10.5 million at current rates) was spent on PCR tests in Hubei during 2019, nearly double the 2018 total, with the upswing starting in May, the report claims.
PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, tests are used to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus. The test detects the presence of a virus at the time of the test, and can also detect fragments of the virus after recovery.
PCR tests have applications beyond testing for COVID-19 . But the report alleges the unusual uptick in OCR test orders likely signals awareness of a new disease spreading in and around Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, where Covid-19 was first recorded.
Orders for PCR tests doubled from universities, jumped fivefold from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and climbed tenfold from animal testing bureaus, the report said. In contrast, purchases of the tests from hospitals in China declined by more than 10%.
Internet 2.0. said monthly procurement data showed a spike in orders in May, especially from CDC buyers and the People’s Liberation Army. Purchases rose sharply from July through October as well, in particular from the Wuhan University of Science and Technology. The institution spent 8.92 million yuan on PCR tests in 2019, about eight times its total for the previous year.
“We believe the increased spending in May suggests this as the earliest start date for possible infection,” the report said.
Commentators say the Internet 2.0. report casts further doubt on the narrative from China about the origins of the virus.
China’s foreign ministry has disputed the report’s findings. In a response to Bloomberg News, a spokesperson said the findings fall into the same category as other dubious claims about the origins of the coronavirus.