I believe it goes further than this. WHO and China are both trying to downplay the severity of the pandemic because they know if they publish more accurate estimates, it will cause mass panic. Panic is not helpful in any situation, and leads to an unstable society, hoarding, and destructive behaviors.
> WHO and China are both trying to downplay the severity of the pandemic because they know if they publish more accurate estimates, it will cause mass panic.
I'm making an interactive map showing the progression of the virus, from various sources. https://coronaprogress.com/
I don't believe anymore that they are trying to downplay it, or they are being really bad at it. We shall be approaching a hundred thousand confirmed cases within 10 days.
And what makes you believe that to be true? Have any WHO numbers been proven wrong in the past for, say, ebola? SARS? Or any other epidemic or disease? Or is it because it is China that a lots of people prefer to not believe them? Because that is how you spread panic if you ask me.
It's widely reported that the confirmed case count published by China is far below the actual case count. This is due to several factors, including:
* A high percentage of asymptomatic carriers (WHO est. 82%), who have mild symptoms and no need to go to the hospital. These victims are still able to transmit the virus to others.
Read that China and WHO are not "wrong" about the reported case numbers. They do not reflect how widespread the virus is. I've read reports that the true case count is 5-10x higher.
