Chinese scientists raised alarm over coronavirus in December but government ordered cover-up, new report claims
In December sick patients in Wuhan were tested by genomics companies
Researchers told Beijing about their findings, but were told to keep quiet
Local officials did not tell representatives from the US during a visit on January 8
By JOE MIDDLETON
DAILYMAIL.COM
1 March 2020
Scientists in China raised the alarm about coronavirus in December but were told by government officials to suppress the evidence, a report has claimed.
In December a number of sick patients in Wuhan were tested by genomics companies, who noticed similarities between their illnesses and SARS, as reported by Caixin Global.
Researchers told Beijing about their findings, but were told to keep quiet by China’s National Health Commission.
It is understood that local officials did not tell representatives from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention when they visited Wuhan on January 8 about the outbreak.
Officials in Wuhan also went ahead with a potluck dinner for 40,000 families, rather than respond to the outbreak of the virus.
Shortly afterwards on January 20, China launched a massive effort to contain the virus, shutting down Wuhan.
Most of the samples tested by the Guangzhou-based genomics company came from the lung of a 65-year-old delivery driver who worked at a seafood market.
Just days later on December 30, Dr Li Weliang was one of the first to warn about the crisis in Wuhan. He was punished for releasing the information, and would later die from the virus after contracting it from a patient weeks later.
It comes as Donald Trump banned travel to Iran after America reported its first death from the virus, also known as Covid-19.
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