China “intentionally concealed the severity” of the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak so the country could hoard medical supplies such as face masks and gloves for itself, according to a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report obtained by the Associated Press. Chinese officials ramped up imports of medical supplies while limiting shipments of their stock by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” a report analysis states. The country sought to hide information in January from the World Health Organization that the virus “was a contagion” so it could stock up on protective equipment, the report further alleges.
The documents came to light after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC’s This Week Sunday that “there is a significant amount of evidence that [COVID-19] came from that laboratory in Wuhan.” President Trump has previously suggested he believes something similar, echoing right-wing conspiracy theories, though the New York Times recently reported the CIA had failed to find evidence to support them.
Read it at AP News
