New Jersey Mayor Claims He Had COVID-19 In November; China Uses It in Propaganda War

If Belleville, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Melham had COVID-19 in November of 2019 and the only place he had recently traveled to was Atlantic City, approximately 125 miles south, would that absolve Wuhan, China, of being the center of origin of the coronavirus? The answer depends on the legitimacy of the facts surrounding his illness and if China is or is not propagandizing whatever ailment the mayor claims to have contracted.

The best way to get to the bottom of such a dilemma starts with the known facts.

Mayor Melham told Fox News on Thursday (May 7) that he fell ill in November following a conference he attended in Atlantic City. He said that more than one person attending the conference had contacted him complaining of severe flu-like symptoms. He said, "I didn't know what was happening to me. I never felt that I could be so sick,” and added that whatever it was, he felt "like a heroin addict going through withdrawals."

When COVID-19 testing, which was not in existence in November, became available, Melham’s doctor tested him for COVID-19 antibodies and the test came back positive.

Enter Lijian Zhao, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, whose purpose for the Chinese Communist government is to push back against any U.S. claims that cast Beijing in a negative light. He quoted another Chinese spokesperson in a Twitter message that said, "More reports on previously undiscovered COVID-19 cases are emerging. New Jersey mayor was infected in November; 171 cases in Florida by January and none had been to China. What else hasn't been revealed in the U.S.?"

Heath data from the state of Florida add some pith to Zhao’s question. The data showed that as many as 171 people in the state had the deadly virus as early as January. The Palm Beach Post obtained the data and there was some uncertainty about the timing as to when patients reported their symptoms. What is a bit surprising is that the state removed the information from their website Monday.

Melham also made comments that would cause any Chinese propagandist to leap with joy. He said, "We all hear about how COVID-19 didn't really exist here in the U.S. until January. That is obviously not the case. I am living, breathing proof that we were all dealing with it months earlier."

Another tidbit of information in the form of a new genetic study came out of London this week suggesting the coronavirus spread quickly after it emerged in China as early as October.

The international “volleyball like” blame game will continue long after this wave of the pandemic has passed. Most people will continue to believe it originated in a Wuhan wet market, or a virology lab, based on the best-known path that the coronavirus took. A minority will trust in alternate theories and China will be sure to bring up anything that defers attention away from its alleged missteps in any number of issues, including the coronavirus. The absolute truth as to its origins may never be known.