BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus spreading in New York is unlikely to have arrived directly from China, but from infected people traveling to the United States from Europe, the South China Morning Post has reported, citing a study published in Science magazine.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York said genetic analysis of samples taken from 84 COVID-19 patients in the city showed "limited evidence" of direct introductions from China, said the report.

Analysis of the gene samples suggests most had a European origin, said the report, also noting that a similar study conducted in April found that about two-thirds of infections in New York were probably imported from Europe.

In most cases, the source of the infection was "untracked transmission between the U.S. and Europe," the report cited the study, which was published in Science magazine last week.

"Notably, the majority of introductions appear to have been sourced from Europe and the USA," said the study.

New York City, which has seen over 205,000 cases according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, is still under a "PAUSE" order, with all non-essential businesses closed.