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With evidence of China under-reporting cases again in the news, I want to emphasize something important: This was known at the time. Evidence that China was under-reporting cases was very much confirmed by February. A trip down memory lane... 1/
Here is @gerryshih @bylenasun and I with the Post's first investigation into how Wuhan/Hubei handled the initial outbreak. Question of case count is front and center. 2/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/02/01/early-missteps-state-secrecy-china-likely-allowed-coronavirus-spread-farther-faster/
By first week Feb, people were raising questions about why WHO and others were not pressing China on the case counts 3/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-officials-note-serious-problems-in-coronavirus-response-the-world-health-organization-keeps-praising-them/2020/02/08/b663dd7c-4834-11ea-91ab-ce439aa5c7c1_story.html
Later that month, WHO told the Post that China was refusing to hand over critical case data, particularly the number about medical workers infected 4/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/world-health-organization-china-not-sharing-data-on-health-care-worker-coronavirus-infections/2020/02/26/28064fda-54e4-11ea-80ce-37a8d4266c09_story.html
A major AP scoop in April established the timeline of when central government was briefed. (This reporting, IMO, is far more significant than the new docs, tho both clearly matter a good deal) https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9
Getting any docs from China is a feat. The detail in the documents obtained by CNN add to the record. But I think casting the findings as 'unprecedented' implies that less was known at the time. Fact is, there was LOTS of evidence in Feb — evidence the U.S. chose to ignore.
