Coronavirus Satellite Traffic Images May Suggest Virus Hit Wuhan Earlier. Harvard, BU researchers analyzed images that show hospital Dramatic spikes in auto traffic around major hospitals in Wuhan last fall suggest the novel coronavirus may have been present and spreading. Counting cars: Satellite images suggest coronavirus may have hit China last fall.
As satellite images shared with MIT Technology Review by Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies show, the metropolis has ground to a halt. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, few industries have fallen as far and as fast as tourism. Wuhan's normally busy airport has completely ceased operations.
Satellite images may suggest virus hit Wuhan earlier.
This early data suggests an evolving virus that surfaced considerably earlier.
Harvard researchers say satellite images show an increase in traffic outside five hospitals in the Chinese city from late August to December. The traffic spike coincided with a rise in online searches for information on symptoms like "cough" and "diarrhoea". The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission confirmed Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died Tuesday morning.