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Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization, attends a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on January 28, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Naohiko Hatta - Pool/Getty Images)
Last December, as the novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, local officials and Chinese Communist Party leadership began suppressing public awareness of the virus. Medical professionals were subjected to forced confessions of "hoaxes," [[link removed]] hospitals were ordered to destroy evidence [[link removed]], and online censors blocked terms [[link removed]] alluding to the virus.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization praised [[link removed]] China's response to the virus and shared false information [[link removed]] about the supposedly minimal risk of human-to-human transmission. Rather than serve as an early warning system for the world, the WHO contributed to delays in global preparedness for a crisis that has claimed over 150,000 lives.
To cut through the noise and influence of Chinese state media, we've created a timeline detailing China's coronavirus response and its global impact. Visit our Coronavirus Timeline [[link removed]], and share it on Facebook [[link removed]] and Twitter [[link removed]].
Next week, join us for a conversation on missile defense with Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert Soofer [[link removed]], and a discussion with industry leaders on how the pandemic will change manufacturing and technology supply chains [[link removed]] in the US.
As always, see our full round-up of analysis on Hudson's coronavirus homepage [[link removed]].
Visit Hudson's Coronavirus Timeline [[link removed]] Share on Twitter [[link removed]] Share on Facebook [[link removed]]
A Timeline of Deadly Deference [[link removed]]
Key dates tied to China's coronavirus censorship and the WHO's support of misleading information.
December 1: [[link removed]] First cases confirmed in Wuhan
The first coronavirus case now recognized by Chinese authorities is recorded in a Wuhan hospital. Conflicting sources suggest the first confirmed case can be traced back to a 55-year-old Hubei resident on November 17.
December 8: [[link removed]] Evidence of human-to-human transmission
The first suspected human-to-human transmission is recorded by Wuhan doctors [[link removed]]. A patient is observed to have the virus but denies ever visiting the seafood market. As the month proceeds, Wuhan doctors suspect disease transmission [[link removed]] from patients to medical staff.
December 31: [[link removed]] Taiwan alerts WHO, China censors virus terms
Taiwanese public health officials warn [[link removed]] the WHO that the virus is spreading between humans. The WHO never publicizes the warning.
Chinese social media censors introduce [[link removed]] a list of coronavirus-related terms, including “Wuhan unknown pneumonia” and “unknown SARS,” to block from online discussions.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declares [[link removed]] that it has no evidence of human-to-human transmission and informs the WHO of the outbreak.
January 1: [[link removed]] China forces confessions
The Wuhan Public Security Bureau summons eight people [[link removed]] to its headquarters, including Dr. Li Wenliang, who initially warned the public about the virus, accusing them of spreading “hoaxes.” Dr. Li signs a statement confessing to his “misdemeanor.” The fate of the other seven is unknown.
January 3: [[link removed]] China orders destruction of research and expands censorship
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) orders [[link removed]] institutions “not to publish any information related to the unknown disease” and orders labs to “transfer any samples they had to designated testing institutions or to destroy them.” The order did not specify any testing institutions.
January 5: [[link removed]] WHO advises countries against China-directed restrictions
Six days after its China County office was “informed of cases of pneumonia with unknown etiology” in Wuhan, the WHO [[link removed]] “advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information available on this event.”
January 9: [[link removed]] WHO cites CCP talking points on virus transmission
Chinese authorities announce [[link removed]] publicly that a novel coronavirus was behind the recent viral pneumonia outbreak. The WHO praises [[link removed]] it as “a notable achievement [that] demonstrates China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks.” Citing Chinese authorities, the WHO notes “the virus does not spread readily between people” and reiterates its advice against travel or trade restrictions on China.
January 14: [[link removed]]WHO continues citing false CCP talking points
Nearly six weeks after Wuhan doctors raise the possibility of human-to-human transmission, the WHO issues a statement [[link removed]] stressing that Chinese authorities recorded no cases of human-to-human transmission.
January 15: [[link removed]] China initiates highest-level emergency response; restricts public knowledge
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing initiates internally [[link removed]] its highest-level emergency response, which includes directions to hospitals to take protective precautions and to begin tracking cases. The directions are marked “not to be publicly disclosed.”
January 22: [[link removed]]WHO continues to downplay global threat after transmission risks made public
A WHO Emergency Committee concludes that the virus does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), despite the head of China’s NHC investigatory team confirming human-to-human transmission days earlier. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praises [[link removed]] China for its “cooperation” and praises Xi Jinping for his “leadership and intervention.”
January 27: [[link removed]]CCP allows Lunar New Year travel, accelerating global spread
The Chinese government allows several days of massive outbound traffic tied to the Lunar New Year, an action that would have global repercussions. The Chinese government suspends group travel [[link removed]] to foreign countries but individual travel remains unrestricted.
January 30: [[link removed]] Virus on four continents; WHO continues to advise countries against restricting travel to China
The WHO declares [[link removed]] the coronavirus a global health emergency, while expressing confidence in “China’s capacity to control the outbreak.” The WHO still recommends against China-targeted restrictions. By now, the virus has spread across six countries and four continents.
March 11: [[link removed]] WHO declares a pandemic
The WHO declares [[link removed]] that the outbreak has become a pandemic, noting that there are over 118,000 cases in 114 countries.
Visit Hudson's Coronavirus Timeline [[link removed]]
Go Deeper: China's COVID-19 Coverup
Read [[link removed]]
China Still Misleads the World on the Coronavirus [[link removed]]
This isn't your typical bumbling Communist coverup, notes Hudson Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal. China's new coverup is more brazen as the CCP continues to falsify vital information on a massive scale.
Listen [[link removed]]
The COVID-19 National Security Challenge [[link removed]]
A cast of Hudson all-stars joins The Realignment podcast to discuss coronavirus and the misconception that the WHO and other global institutions are inherently unbiased and immune to political influence.
Watch [[link removed]]
Senator Todd Young on China's Misinformation Efforts [[link removed]]
Senator Todd Young joined Hudson this week to discuss how to China's misinformation efforts, proposing that the United States provide the world with a "clear alternative" through renewed investments in advanced technology.
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