Records from a website aggregating public sector procurement contracts reveal that approximately 67.4 million yuan (US$10.5 million at current rates) was spent on the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests starting in May 2019 - nearly double the 2018 total.

"Monthly procurement data shows a spike in orders in May, especially from CDC buyers and the People's Liberation Army," according to the report.

The report casts further doubt on China's official line about the origins of the virus, a topic that has fueled tensions between Beijing and Washington.

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, tests are used to detect the presence of a particular genetic sequence in a sample, and they have applications beyond COVID-19 testing. But the report alleges the unusual uptick likely signals awareness of a new disease spreading in the Wuhan area.

Orders doubled from universities, jumped fivefold from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and surged tenfold from animal testing bureaus. Purchases from hospitals declined by more than 10%. -Nikkei

"We believe the increased spending in May suggests this as the earliest start date for possible infection," the report concludes.

Purchases also soared between July and October as well - especially from the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, which spent 8.92 million yuan in 2019, an eight-fold increase over 2018.