The U.S. Intelligence Community has concluded that China concealed the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in the country, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
A classified report submitted to the White House states that China intentionally lowered its reported number of coronavirus cases, according to three officials familiar with the matter. The officials did not indicate if the report estimates what China’s actual infection rate is.
The news comes a day after Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, suggested that the U.S. response to the pandemic may not have been as effective as possible due to “missing” data from China.
“The medical community interpreted the Chinese data as, this was serious, but smaller than anyone expected,” Birx said at a press briefing. “Because, probably…we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that we see what happened to Italy and we see what happened to Spain.”
Trump calls Nobel committee’s decision an ‘indelible stain’ on Norway: ‘A disgraceful and embarrassing decision’
Trump rallies New York crowd for Republican Bruce Blakeman’s bid to replace Gov. Kathy Hochul
Multiple College Football Games Rescheduled as Hurricane Isaias Approaches
James Talarico resurfaces after extended absence as his campaign pushes back
Scottish School Rebrands Christmas Cards to ‘Winter Cards’ Citing ‘Inclusivity’ Concerns
Louisiana Doc Arrested for Allegedly Watching, Refusing to Help Drowning Child for at Least 5 Minutes Straight
Graphic: Bloodied TV Star Says Hollywood Is ‘Not Safe’ After He’s Robbed and Beaten
Obama the Slave Driver: Workers at Presidential Library Unionizing as Wages Frozen, Time Off Cut, and Health Care Costs Rise
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Reveals the Truth About Illegal Alien Shot by ICE in NYC, Points Finger at Mamdani and Hochul
DeSantis presses reluctant Floridians for swift evacuations as Hurricane Isaias strengthens
‘Trans girls need guns’: Terrorism inquiry puts supporter of leftist gun community behind bars
Texas think tank accuses Houston parent coalition of using ‘socialist’ tactics to push radical agenda
‘SNL’ writer’s missing sister case leads homicide detectives to Joshua Tree months after family’s murder claim
Culture clash laid bare as violent Somali gangs grip suburban communities: ‘These kids are different’
Letitia James stumped by debate question while GOP rival delivers ‘zinger for the ages’
China could have prevented 95 percent of coronavirus infections if it had acted sooner to stem the outbreak, according to one study.
“I would urge every nation: Do your best to collect the data. Do your best to share that information,” Pompeo said. “We’re doing that.”
Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) has repeatedly claimed that China was underreporting cases of coronavirus. Cotton argued in a January 28 letter to Pompeo and Health Secretary Alex Azar that the Trump administration should ban travel from China, in part because China was not reporting the extent of the epidemic.
“As of [Tuesday] morning, China has reported that the Wuhan coronavirus has infected more than 4,500 people and killed more than 100,” Cotton wrote. “But the real number is likely far higher — perhaps in the hundreds of thousands — given the Chinese Communist Party’s long history of covering up and minimizing these crises.”
Story cited here.
