Coronavirus outbreak: What went wrong in the early days

♪ ♪ This was the scene on the night of January 24 in China. The Chinese New Year is celebrated with an amazing television show in which thousands of singers and dancers participate. Promote the achievements of the country and the Communist Party. ♪ ♪ But this was four

days

after news of the COVID-19

outbreak

broke, so a section was added at the last minute focusing on the epidemic unfolding in the city of Wuhan. TV presenters applauded the brave healthcare workers facing the deadly COVID-19 virus. All of this was quite a marked change from how the epidemic was treated weeks earlier, when it was covered up by Chinese authorities.

Now, infectious disease experts around the world are focusing on the lessons of the COVID-19 epidemic. Xi Jinping is the most powerful leader China has had since Mao Zedong. The entire Chinese bureaucracy and security apparatus seeks to please him and reinforce his announced top priority: stability. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurie Garrett specializes in public health and infectious diseases. In China, she saw the SARS epidemic covered up by the Communist Party. So, a culture has been created within China of covering up, lying and hiding the truth. Very similar to

what

I experienced in the former Soviet Union. Where everyone wants to please their superiors.

Garrett was working in China during that

outbreak

17 years ago, when the government was notoriously dishonest in every aspect of it. She saw the same thing happen this time after the outbreak was first recognized on December 31. They officially announced from the city government: "There seems to be a little problem." "Don't worry about that." "We have it well under control." "It has nothing to do with SARS." "Everyone stay calm." The official People's Daily newspaper ignored the outbreak announced on January 1. In fact, there was no mention of the epidemic for 20 consecutive

days

until January 20. Dr. Yanzhong Huang is an infectious disease expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

He interpreted it in a way that this is nothing serious, you know? That will not lead to efficient human-to-human transmission, so there was a lack of effective response to the outbreak at the local level. When an outbreak occurs, the time to respond is as soon as possible. When you have a handful of human cases. When you can really tell, John gave it to Mary, who gave it to Susie, who gave it to Paul. The answer was exactly the opposite. Almost a third of Chinese city dwellers eat wild animals. This is how new viruses jump from animals to humans.

The SARS epidemic was eventually attributed to the consumption of a small raccoon-like creature called a civet. The main suspect in this epidemic is the pangolin. An animal similar to the anteater that is consumed for its supposed healing qualities for many diseases. The first COVID-19 outbreak was traced back to the Wuhan live animal market, which was quickly closed. Today, the government ordered the closure of live animal markets across the country. Kelly Lee is an infectious disease expert at Simon Fraser University. These markets are... many of them are illegal. And that is why they are not well regulated.

This is a really dangerous combination when we look at diseases, microbes, pathogens and jumping species. It's a perfect opportunity to do it. The Chinese government released these videos purportedly showing the fight against the COVID-19 virus through an elaborate campaign to fumigate the exterior of airplanes and fumigate entire cities. There are many videos like this. From these mysterious fogging machines that spray God knows

what

everywhere. I can't think of any substance that could be sprayed on an open street in the manner shown and have any impact on a virus. So it's very difficult to understand what the goal was, other than public relations.

On January 28, the Director-General of WHO, the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Braces, traveled to Beijing to meet in person with President Xi Jinping. At that time, China recorded 4,537 cases of COVID-19 infection. An independent assessment in the medical journal The Lancet estimated that as of January 25 there were 75,800 in the city of Wuhan alone, but Dr. Tedros

went

out of his way to praise China's handling of the outbreak. He has to work with the government and must ensure that the lines of communication remain open. So his words were to ensure that you know that relations with China remain positive.

At the Tedros-Xi Jinping meeting, the Chinese government reportedly insisted that the WHO delay any proclamation of a global health emergency. Dr. Tedros obeyed. In fact, I think the WHO has been following the correct procedure in terms of responding to the outbreak. And although I do think they could have acted sooner. Look, the WHO has been through this game before with the exact same country. The index of suspicion should have been much higher. We have a WHO that, you know, we have created collectively. That we have given him limited resources and powers. And now we expect it to do things it was designed to do.

It is not a global health SWAT team. It turns out that Chinese authorities have changed the method used to tabulate infected people six times. Which makes medical experts around the world now doubt the value of their official figures. When you started to see this long period where the numbers didn't change or even

went

back one day. To me, those seemed like completely made-up figures. I hope that the Chinese government, not only the central government but also the local government, will really learn the lessons of the outbreak and take steps to improve transparency and openness, to ensure that this time, the same thing happens again.

It's not going to happen again. I am very nervous that as everyone returns from the extended lunar holiday and eventually begins to return to work and school, we will see a resurgence. Sort of, you know, epidemic number two. Gabriel Leung, whose epidemiologist in Hong Kong has predicted that this could end up infecting 65% of all humans on the planet. Scientists are still calculating the death rate, which appears to be much higher in China than outside of it. But they say that even if this outbreak is contained, we must quickly learn the lessons it leaves us. With millions of people on international flights every day, it is likely only a matter of time before the world faces a truly global pandemic.

Terence McKenna, CBC News, Toronto