美國新冠肺炎疫情究竟何時開始，是各方關注的話題。由於美國政府過去幾個月來在新冠肺炎病人檢測上的不作為，使得確診的首例新冠肺炎病人時間與疫情爆發實際時間有較大差距。
不過群眾的眼睛是雪亮的。在USA TODAY的一篇報道A New York neurosurgeon has coronavirus. This is what he wants people to know的下麵，美國網友間接發表了自己對疫情爆發時間點的認知。
這是一篇對一位經曆過新冠肺炎的醫生的報道，在這篇報道裏，醫生描述了自己感受的新冠肺炎症狀，不少網友認為，自己和自己周圍的其他人早就有同樣的經曆但一直認為是流感。
下麵請看部分網友的自述
Albertus3 hours ago
same thing I felt in december. this has been here for a while and is peaking
我在去年12月也有同樣的感覺。這已經有一段時間了現在應該到頂峰了
Brent2 hours ago
I had what I thought was a flu early this year. It started mildly, and I too thought it was just a cold. However, I soon developed what I would say was the worst cough I've ever had. A LOT of folks in the office had a severe cough in late December and early January. Will be interesting if they come up with after-the-fact testing for those who think they were affected.
我今年年初也有過，我以為是流感。它開始時溫和，我想這隻是感冒。但是，這很快發展成我有史以來最嚴重的咳嗽。辦公室的很多人在12月下旬和1月初都是如此。如果他們有新冠肺炎感染的疑問而提出事後測試，將會很有趣。
Flo2 hours ago
First week of January, I had sudden onset of scratchy throat, sneezing, chills, slight fever which progressed to non productive coughs and then diarrhea for two days. Symptoms cleared in one week except for the cough which lingered for two more weeks. I have never had such a forceful non productive cough which caused me to splint my chest to alleviate the pain.
一月的第一周，我突然出現喉嚨發癢，打噴嚏，發冷，輕微發燒，並發展為無症狀的咳嗽，然後腹瀉了兩天。除咳嗽持續兩周外，症狀在一周內消失。我從未經曆過如此強烈的無症狀咳嗽，迫使我壓迫胸部以減輕疼痛。
Best Friend of Sally2 hours ago
I had the same conditions in mid-Feb here in LA that he is describing. I treated it as the flu.
我二月中旬在洛杉磯經曆的情況與之相同。我把它當作流感。
Reckless Move59 minutes ago
I have the exact same symptoms. My doctor didn't test, just sent me home.
我有完全相同的症狀。我的醫生沒有做病毒測試，隻是讓我回家。
C22 minutes ago
I am a very healthy 61 yo female with an excellent immune system.
In mid January I had what started as a "cold" left work for the day and it hit me like a train.
I called out the next day (which I never do) and slept for 4 days My symptoms were extreme chills my body shook in a hot shower my body ached I was delirious sick to the point that I felt I should let someone know I was in a bad place. I had to add a down comforter doubled up with an additional blanked raised the heat to 70 degrees still shaking under covers.
This was the sickest I have been in over a decade.
我是一位非常健康的61歲女性，有很棒的免疫功能。
1月中旬的某一天，我開始發寒，那種感覺像受到火車撞擊我隻能丟下停工。
第二天我難受得叫出聲來（這是我從來沒有過的），此後我睡了四天。我的症狀是極度發冷，在熱水澡時我的身體打顫，我的身體感到很痛，精神錯亂，以至於我覺得應該讓別人知道我的狀況很糟。這是我十多年來最惡心的經曆。
根據網友自認的經曆，美國新冠肺炎疫情流行不遲於去年12月。而CDC認可的美國首例新冠肺炎病人是一位2020年1月19日就診的35歲男性，相對應的是，中國官方認可的武漢首例新冠肺炎病人發病日期為2019年12月8日。
究竟美國新冠肺炎疫情起於何時，流感中新冠肺炎占比多少，與中國新冠肺炎爆發和流行的關係如何，相信隨著時間的推移，對美國新冠肺炎病人實測數據的分析，以及對美國真實流行史的調查研究，將會有一個客觀的說明。
