China Concealed Extent of Virus Outbreak, U.S. Intelligence Says
By: By Nick Wadhams and Jennifer Jacobs
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
China has concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country, under-reporting both total cases and deaths it’s suffered from the disease, the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House, according to three U.S. officials.
The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret, and they declined to detail its contents. But the thrust, they said, is that China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete. Two of the officials said the report concludes that China’s numbers are fake.
The report was received by the White House last week, one of the officials said.
Airport employees wear full body protective suits at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on March 28.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
The outbreak began in China’s Hubei province in late 2019, but the country has publicly reported only about 82,000 cases and 3,300 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University . That compares to more than 189,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths in the U.S., which has the largest publicly reported outbreak in the world.
Communications staff at the White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming,” Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday on CNN. “What appears evident now is that long before the world learned in December that China was dealing with this, and maybe as much as a month earlier than that, that the outbreak was real in China.
Stacks of thousands of urns outside funeral homes in Hubei province have driven public doubt in Beijing’s reporting.
Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have been particularly harsh about China’s role in the outbreak. Enhancing Beijing’s role in the pandemic could be politically helpful to President Donald Trump, who has sought to shift blame for the U.S. outbreak away from his administration’s delays in achieving widespread testing for the virus and mobilizing greater production of supplies such as face masks and hospital ventilators.
“The claim that the United States has more coronavirus deaths than China is false,” Senator Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, said in a statement after Bloomberg News published its report. “Without commenting on any classified information, this much is painfully obvious: The Chinese Communist Party has lied, is lying, and will continue to lie about coronavirus to protect the regime.”
Deborah Birx, the State Department immunologist advising the White House on its response to the outbreak, said Tuesday that China’s public reporting influenced assumptions elsewhere in the world about the nature of the virus.
“The medical community made -- interpreted the Chinese data as: This was serious, but smaller than anyone expected,” she said at a news conference on Tuesday. “Because I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that what we see happened to Italy and see what happened to Spain.”
China isn’t the only country with suspect public reporting. Western officials have pointed to Iran, Russia, Indonesia and especially North Korea, which has not reported a single case of the disease, as probable under-counts. Others including Saudi Arabia and Egypt may also be playing down their numbers.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has publicly urged China and other nations to be transparent about their outbreaks. He has repeatedly accused China of covering up the extent of the problem and being slow to share information, especially in the weeks after the virus first emerged, and blocking offers of help from American experts.
“This data set matters,” he said at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. The development of medical therapies and public-health measures to combat the virus “so that we can save lives depends on the ability to have confidence and information about what has actually transpired,” he said.
“I would urge every nation: Do your best to collect the data. Do your best to share that information,” he said. “We’re doing that.”
— With assistance by Justin Sink
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So, Dr Birx has helped to solve part of the mystery of why the US was caught behind the 8 ball - Our experts believed China and they thought the pandemic would not be that large. What did the Chinese report? About 13,000 dead? What was it really maybe 400,000?
In the meantime the WHO and the New York Times fell right in line behind China's lies.
WHO didn't know China was "masking" the numbers, besides WHO and everyone else.
“The mission of the WHO is to get public health information to the world so every country can make the best decisions to keep their citizens safe. When it comes to Coronavirus, the WHO failed,” said Scott, Florida’s former governor and freshman senator. “They need to be held accountable for their role in promoting misinformation and helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic. We know Communist China is lying about how many cases and deaths they have, what they knew and when they knew it—and the WHO never bothered to investigate further. Their inaction cost lives.”
“As soon as Congress is back in session, there should be a hearing, along with a full investigation, to review whether American taxpayers should continue to spend millions of dollars every year to fund an organization that willfully parroted propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party,” Scott said. The United States is responsible for funding 15% of the WHO budget.
Back in July of 2019, the trade wars and sanctions affected both the US & China deeply at all levels.
Upon learning that her CDC position as the resident advisor in Bejjing was being defunded in September 2019
Dr. Linda Quick abruptly left the country and was not replaced.
The position has been described as the eyes and ears of the USA in China for strange outbreaks of diseases.
Would it have made a difference if she was replaced or stayed until September?
Maybe. Maybe not.
If she had stayed past September? Much more likely.
If the Chinese have lied, would it have been possible or as easy with a high profile American in place in Bejjing
instead of two Chinese nationals that the CDC trusted in her place?
Sounds foolish to actually trust the Chinese.
But hindsight is always 20/20.
What do they say about ifs & buts? Why don't we just go by Dr Birx. If only China had told the truth (just that 1 thing!) the task force led by Dr Fauci would have known how large scale this thing was going to be. We don't need to go back to July of 2019 or look at the mission creep of the CDC - all we had to do was get the right info this past December!
How many lives in the US will all this hand wringing about China save?
Said by the person who thinks it's super important to wring hands, pull hair, and gnash teeth over every last thing Trump has said or done throughout this process. smh
You mean these WORDS:
Trump 2013: “Whatever happens, you’re responsible for. If it doesn’t happen, you’re responsible.”
January 20: "I know more about viruses than anyone.”
January 22: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”
January 24: "China has been working very hard to contain the Corona virus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!”
January 30: “We have it very well under control, and I think it’s going to have a very good ending. So that I can assure you!”
February 2: “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”
February 10: "It dies with the hotter weather… You know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat.”
February 24: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
February 25: “CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.”
February 25: “I think that's a problem that’s going to go away… They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.”
February 25: “We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are … getting better. They’re ALL getting better!”
February 26: “The 15 cases within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” “We're going very substantially down, not up.”
February 26: "This is a flu" and that “whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.”
February 27: “One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
February 28: “We're ordering a lot of supplies. We're ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn't be ordering unless it was something like this. But we're ordering a lot of different elements of medical.”
February 28: “This is the new Democratic Hoax.”
March 2: “You take a solid flu vaccine, you don't think that could have an impact, or much of an impact, on corona?”
March 2: “A lot of things are happening, a lot of very exciting things are happening and they’re happening very rapidly.”
March 2: “Nobody knew of the number of US flu deaths”.
March 4: "But I closed the borders, against the advice of a lot of people. And it turned out to be a very wise decision."
March 4: “If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work — some of them go to work, but they get better.”
March 5: “I NEVER said people that are feeling sick should go to work.”
March 5: “The United States… has, as of now, only 129 cases… and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!”
March 5: "This virus only hit the US three weeks ago”.
March 5: "Well, I think the 3.4% is really a false number," "My gut tells me it's lower" "Personally, I would say, the number is way under 1%,"
March 6: “I think we’re doing a really good job in this country at keeping it down… a tremendous job at keeping it down.”
March 6: “I hear the numbers getting much better in Italy.”
March 6: “Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. The tests are all perfect like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. Right?
March 6: “I like this stuff. I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it… Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
March 6: “I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault,” "I hate to do it statistically, because it makes us look bad."
March 6: "Maybe the Coronavirus improved US jobs numbers?”
March 8: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House for our attack on CoronaVirus.”
March 9: “This blindsided the world.”
March 13: About disbanding the CDC infectious disease task force. “When you say me, I didn’t do it. We have a group of people… You say we did that, but I don’t know anything about it.”
March 13: “As you know Europe was just designated as the hot spot right now, and we closed that border a while ago so that was lucky or through talent or through luck… call it whatever you want.” The travel ban had not even been implemented yet.
March 13: “I asked them that same question, and they said, ‘You don’t have any symptoms whatsoever."
March 13: “National emergency, two big words.”
March 13: "I take no responsibility at all."
You mean these WORDS:
January 30: Trump on Coronavirus, “We have it very well under control, and I think it’s going to have a very good ending. So that I can assure you!”
February 2: Trump on Coronavirus, “Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China, but we did shut it down!”
February 10: On Fox News Trump says without evidence that the coronavirus "dies with the hotter weather… You know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat.”
February 24: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.”
February 25: Trump falsely claims “You may ask about the coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are … getting better. They’re ALL getting better!”
February 26: Trump wrongly says the coronavirus "is a flu" and that “whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.”
February 26: Trump baselessly predicts the number of US cases is "going very substantially down" to "close to zero”
February 26: Trump wrongly says the flu death rate is "much higher" than Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. Coronavirus has 10X death rate compared to flu. If 60K die from flu then 600K will die from Coronavirus!
February 27: Trump baselessly said, "It's going to disappear. One day -- it's like a miracle -- it will disappear.”
February 28: Trump said at a rally, Coronavirus is “the new Democratic Hoax.”
March 2: Trump falsely claims “nobody knew of the number of US flu deaths”.
March 2: Trump says a vaccine is coming "relatively soon”. Only Trump did not bother to mention that CDC had told him earlier that day that a vaccine was a year to a year and a half away.
March 4: Trump said he believes people infected with the novel coronavirus may get better "by sitting around and even going to work."
March 5: Trump wrongly claims the virus only hit the US "three weeks ago”. Trump was informed of a confirmed case on January 21(6 weeks prior).
March 5: World Health Organization (WHO), based on data collected around the world, stated the global mortality rate for coronavirus at 3.4%. Trump says: “I think the 3.4 % is really a false number, this is just my ‘Hunch’!”
March 6: As the number of cases and deaths in Italy rises, Trump says “I hear the numbers getting much better in Italy.”
March 6: Trump tells cameras, “Anybody who wants a test can get one.” VP Pence said the day prior that Americans could not get tested simply because they wanted to get tested. "You may not get a test unless a doctor or public health official prescribes a test."
March 6: Trump muses that "maybe the coronavirus improved US jobs numbers.”
March 6: "I like the numbers being where they are. I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship," Trump said of passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship.
March 7: Trump said that doctors he's come across as the administration tries to get a handle on the outbreak have been surprised about how much he knows about COVID-19. "Maybe I have a natural ability," he said. "Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president."
March 11: Trump’s Address from Oval Office wrongly states Insurance companies will pay for patients Coronavirus treatment. Next day Insurance Coalition corrected Trump and said they will pay ONLY for Co-payments, NOT treatment.
March 13: Trump declares National Emergency. “As you know Europe was just designated as the hot spot right now, and we closed that border a while ago so that was lucky or through talent or through luck… call it whatever you want.” The travel ban had not even been implemented, scheduled to start that night.
March 13: Asked why his Admin previously disbanded the national pandemic office which would have significantly prepared the United States, “When you say me, I didn’t do it. We have a group of people… You say we did that, but I don’t know anything about it.” This, after Trump’s presser from Feb. 26 where it was previously brought up and discussed with Trump.
March 13: Backpedaling about whether or not he should get tested and self-isolate for Coronavirus after being in direct contact with those carrying the virus, “I asked them that same question, and they said, ‘You don’t have any symptoms whatsoever.’” You don’t have to be showing symptoms to already have the Coronavirus.
March 13: Trump interacted with several top administration officials and business leaders during the address, shaking hands and patting them.
March 13: Asked by a reporter about the federal failures to test for Coronavirus, Trump answered, “No I don’t take responsibility for that at all.”
Yep. Feel like you're saving any lives with that pedantic nonsense? Cuz I don't.
Crooked donnie lost lives by down playing the virus, so keep excusing the piss poor job he is doing.
Hand wringing? Just let China violate that trade deal they made with the President - then see what happens! It's the only thing that's keeping a lid on it.
BTW wait until you see the number of deaths this month from this virus. All could have been avoidable if the task force had the right info.
And, the Trump administration is doing the same...
It's doubtful that China will report infections and fatalities for their military, for prisons, for Reeducation Through Labor camps, or for detention camps. The populations in prisons, RTL camps, and detention camps would be at higher risk.
Trusting the word of a country like China, that is well known for lying and sowing disinformation whenever it suits them, is very obtuse.