The World Health Organisation has said that a report that Covid-19 had emerged in December in France, sooner than previously thought, was “not surprising”, and urged countries to investigate any other early suspicious cases.

The disease later identified as Covid-19 was first reported by Chinese authorities to the WHO on Dec 31 and was not previously believed to have spread to Europe until January.

“This gives a whole new picture on everything,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a UN briefing in Geneva, referring to the French reports.

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