Evidence of China’s cover-up mounts

The first wave of COVID-19 cases beginning in December likely was four times larger than China originally reported, according to Hong Kong researchers. Chinese officials said they had more than 55,000 cases by Feb. 20. But academics at Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health said on Tuesday the real number likely exceeded 232,000. They credited the increase to updates in how the country kept tallies: “The changes in case definitions had a clear effect on the proportion of infections that were identified and counted as confirmed cases.”

How has the Chinese government responded? Officials have denied claims they undercounted coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Chinese government of covering up how dangerous the disease was and failing to share virus samples.

Dig deeper: Marvin Olasky recommends 52 helpful books you can read about China during the pandemic.