The evolving timeline on COVID-19.

So, China notifies the WHO of an 'unidentified pneumonia' on 31 December 2019. WHO declares COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic 11 March 2020.
China concludes that COVID-19 can be transmitted person-to-person, and that it has the potential to become a pandemic, on 14 January 2020. However, this information was not released publicly until 20 January 2020. https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9
China didn't warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days

In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet...

https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9
However, it seems that COVID-19 may well have been in other parts of the world earlier than this. Italy had a severe pneumonia and flu outbreak in Lombardy in late-2019 - well before the first diagnosed case of COVID-19 in 21 February 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-timing-idUSKBN21D2IG
Italian scientists investigate possible earlier emergence of coronavirus

Italian researchers are looking at whether a higher than usual number of cases of severe pneumonia and flu in Lombardy in the last quarter of 2019 may be a signal that the new coronavirus might have...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-timing-idUSKBN21D2IG
Italian researchers also found traces of COVID-19 from Milan and Turin in waste water from December 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53106444
Coronavirus was already in Italy by December, waste water study finds

Scientists say samples from Milan and Turin showed virus traces long before cases were confirmed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53106444
Meanwhile, research from of a lung cancer screening trial suggests that COVID-19 was in Italy even earlier: September 2019. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/coronavirus-was-circulating-in-italy-as-early-as-september-2019-new-study-shows
Coronavirus was circulating in Italy as early as September 2019, new study shows

A new study reveals the coronavirus emerged in Italy in September, suggesting COVID-19 might have spread beyond China earlier than previously thought.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/coronavirus-was-circulating-in-italy-as-early-as-september-2019-new-study-shows
Waste water tests suggest that COVID-19 was in Spain much earlier still - March 2019! https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scientists-find-coronavirus-in-spanish-wastewater-collected-in-march-2019
Scientists find coronavirus in Spanish wastewater collected in March 2019

Scientists say coronavirus traces have been found in Spanish wastewater samples collected on 12 March 2019 - months before the pandemic shook the world.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scientists-find-coronavirus-in-spanish-wastewater-collected-in-march-2019
France also experienced a pneumonia outbreak in 2019, with a swab from a patient hospitalised on 27 December 2019 for pneumonia testing positive for COVID-19 in May 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52526554
Coronavirus: France's first known case 'was in December'

The case means Covid-19 may have arrived in Europe almost a month earlier than previously thought.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52526554
X-rays of other hospital patients taken in November 2019 in France also suggest they may have had CODIV-19. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/new-evidence-race-find-france-s-covid-19-patient-zero-n1207871
New evidence in race to find France’s COVID-19 'patient zero'

“We can only manage the future if we understand the past,” Dr. Michel Schmitt explained.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/new-evidence-race-find-france-s-covid-19-patient-zero-n1207871
For what its worth, Australia also had a bad pneumonia season in winter 2019 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/flu-not-only-thing-to-worry-about-with-croup-pneumonia-on-rise/11196460
'It was quite terrifying': Flu not the only illness to be concerned about this winter

Health authorities are warning there has been a spike in both pneumonia and the childhood condition croup in recent months, and the flu might to be blame.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/flu-not-only-thing-to-worry-about-with-croup-pneumonia-on-rise/11196460
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