Yes. We don't have swabs that we can perform PCR on.

On the other hand, this report, if true:

- Sickened about a month before COVID-19 was formally detected

- In close proximity to where COVID-19 was formally detected

- While doing research on gain of function in coronaviruses.

This is strongly suggestive circumstantial evidence.

It's much less impressive when you add:

- with symptoms associated with common seasonal illness

Not saying it wasn't COVID-19. Just saying that claiming it was is a bit of a stretch.

The symptoms reportedly included loss of smell and "ground glass opacities" in the lungs.[1] That's not necessarily COVID, either, but a few too many coincidences for me.

[1] https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2021/08/23/josh-rogin-the-sick-r...

See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36332373

Would love to have the denominator.

Close proximity is a bit of a stretch. This shows people catching colds in winter. The rest is speculation

> This shows people catching colds in winter.

And hospitalized? That's a bit more uncommon than catching a cold.

> ..."developed COVID-19-like illnesses in November 2019".

My partner and her siblings developed a COVID-19-like illness in November 2019. It was far worse than any flu they'd ever had and even put one of them, an otherwise healthy 30 year old, in the hospital for several weeks.

I wouldn't be surprised if COVID-19 was spreading as early as October.

I have a friend that has had COVID-19 at least one, and he swears he also got it in 2019 along with the friends he was hanging out with that weekend. There are probably lots of instances like this and we may never know for sure.