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.”
House oversight committee interviews former Epstein lawyer Darren Indyke
Billionaires pick their favorite in California’s packed governor’s race
Spring breakers caught on camera viciously attacking man in overnight street brawl
Thune warns Republicans against ‘counterproductive’ filibuster vote
Sweet, Sweet Justice: Principal Was Getting Away with Kiddie Porn, Then He Trashed Charlie Kirk and It All Came Crashing Down
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Democrats, Independents turn on Israel
VIDEOS: Bondi Briefing Descends Into Utter Chaos as Dems Storm Out When Chair Nukes Their Plan to Publicly Lynch AG
4 House Dems vote against Women’s History Museum bill over biological women-only amendment, Republican claims
70 House GOP members urge Trump admin on Chinese-vape crackdown
Newsom Gets Absolutely Wrecked After He Tries to Defend $114 Million Unfinished Butterfly Bridge and Claims FL and TX Have Same Problems
Breaking: Senate Committee Narrowly Advances Markwayne Mullin’s DHS Nomination with Help from Democrat
House Republicans warm up on spy bill renewal despite weaponization fears
What is the South Pars gas field in Iran Trump threatened to ‘destroy’?
Cyprus reconsiders ‘future of the British bases’ on island after UK bungled defense response
Inside Joe Kent’s abrupt fall as GOP backlash grows over antisemitism accusations, FBI probe
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.
