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Covid-19: China hid details of outbreak to hoard medical supplies, US report says
Published 04 MAY, 2020
UPDATED 04 MAY, 2020
HONG KONG — The Chinese government likely withheld information about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak so it would have time to hoard medical supplies, according to an intelligence report from the US Department of Homeland Security.
Portions of the report were read to American political news site Politico, and its overall findings were first reported by the Associated Press.
The report says that in January, before sharing full details on the novel coronavirus outbreak with the World Health Organization (WHO), Beijing dramatically increased its imports and decreased its exports of medical supplies.
In January, according to the report, China increased its imports of surgical face masks by 278 per cent, surgical gowns by 72 per cent, and surgical gloves by 32 per cent.
Meanwhile, it slashed its global exports of a host of medical products: Surgical gloves by 48 per cent, surgical gowns by 71 per cent, face masks by 48 per cent, medical ventilators by 45 per cent, incubator kits by 56 per cent, thermometers by 53 per cent, and cotton balls and swabs by 58 per cent.
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weehingthong 