3 ms·
No, because at the time the statement was made, most of the known cases were directly linked to a single wildlife market. (Also keep in mind that this announcem
by knzhou 6y ago
No, because at the time the statement was made, most of the known cases were directly linked to a single wildlife market. (Also keep in mind that this announcement is within 2 weeks of discovering the virus, sequencing its genome, inventing the first ever tests for it, and deploying those tests!) Luckily, enough evidence came in that they were sure a few days later.
- calibas 6y agoIn those few days it began spreading internationally, I'm not sure I'd call that "lucky". In the WHO's defense, China was actively trying to cover up the outbreak. People were starting to panic because more people were getting sick, so they went full authoritarian and banned mention of it on social media. More people kept getting sick because it was spreading between people, people were getting worried, then WHO announced no evidence of human to human transmission and recommended no restrictions on travel to Wuhan. We know full well in hindsight that was a mistake.