If the politicians and media outlets editors who downplayed coronavirus in February predicted they could say it, get a lead time on the market and prep time for

If the politicians and media outlets editors who downplayed coronavirus in February predicted they could say it, get a lead time on the market and prep time for themselves and those with access to better data and estimates and not generally end up in worse shape politically and economically than if they admitted the full severity at the beginning and be right about all those things, are their predictions still bad ?